


Moving On

by ThoracicOrchid



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Best Friends, Canon Divergence, Chaos, Cheesy Moments, Cupcakes, Domestic Violence, Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotional Roller Coaster, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Infertility, Lucas is not the bad guy, Marisol is bitchy, Mental Breakdown, Mild Language, Miscarriage, Panic Attacks, There's A Tag For That, Triggers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:22:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 95,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27722744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThoracicOrchid/pseuds/ThoracicOrchid
Summary: After being forced onto Love Island by her best friend, Veronica must try to let go of her last relationship and move on.So she meets Bobby, a sweet guy that she has alot in common with, she starts to fall for him but happily ever afters are never easy.Join Veronica as she fights for love and faces her past.🧁 Updated every 2 weeks on Wednesday evenings
Relationships: Bobby McKenzie/Main Character (Love Island), Lucas Koh/Lottie
Comments: 146
Kudos: 72





	1. Is This A Joke?

**Author's Note:**

> My very first fanfic. 
> 
> I'm nervous. But as Misty would say. 
> 
> "Do it."
> 
> Also, thanks for reading loves!
> 
> 🛑Marked Explicit due to the story possibly upsetting some people

"You're joking? Please tell me this is a joke."

Veronica just stood there staring at her best friend in disbelief.

"Why would you do that?!"

Misty, the best friend in question, just scoffed and rolled her eyes. She leaned against the wall.

"Uhh maybe because I'm tired of seeing you mope around all the time! You need this Veronica! Hell, you deserve this!"

"I'm fine!" Snapped Veronica, "I wish you would understand that I just need time..."

"No...Babe, it's been a year. A. Year. You need to move on. This will be good for you."

A tear slid down Veronica's face.

"Has it really been a year?"

"Oh babe," Misty ran to her friend giving her a hug, "look, I know that bastard hurt you, and I know you blame yourself, which by the way, you know is bullshit," she smiled and gave a little laugh, "He was a bad egg Veronica. Time to go shopping for a new one. A nice one. That will make you smile.....and not be a douchebag. "

Veronica laughed at her friend trying to be sweet and funny at the same time.

"Why can't I just meet the guy version of you?"

Misty shrugged, "It's a cruel world babe. Now come on, you need to respond to this email. You in or what?!"

Veronica sighed and closed her eyes, Love Island. Seriously? Misty could be a bit over the top sometimes but this? This was crazy. What would people think? What would they say? Her parents would be happy she was "moving on" whatever the hell that meant.

"I just don't understand how THIS is what I need or as you put it, deserve." Veronica motioned to the laptop setting on her bed

"Well first off," said Misty, "You are the sweetest person I know and yet you walk around acting like you're to blame for that idiots actions...."

"Ok." Veronica said while standing up and flinging her hands in the air, "His name is Travis and I really think we should stop blaming him for everything that...."

"HE CHEATED ON YOU!! WITH YOUR COUSIN AND THEN MADE YOU BELIEVE IT WAS YOUR FAULT!"

"Maybe it was.."

"No. Stop. You are beautiful and funny and you deserve someone to treat you like a damn princess and yes, if a reality TV show can give you that then why not go and see??" Misty stared at her friend. She couldn't understand how her outgoing, beautiful, independent friend couldn't see herself anymore. It hurt her so much that she basically put the emergency stop on her life. And by God Misty was about to push her off a cliff one way or another. She crossed her arms.

"You're going."

"I'm.....I'm scared"

"Good. That's the first emotion other than sad that you've had in like 6 months."

Veronica picked up the laptop and started to scroll through the email.

"It says here I need to bring at least 10 swimsuits??? Who has that many swimsuits? Plus dresses and night wear??" She looks up at Misty

Misty smiled and pulled out a credit card from her bra.

"Looks like we're going shopping.......Hoe."

Veronica smirked, "Looks like it.....Bitch."

The two girls laughed and headed out.

\-----------‐--------‐----------------

It did not take long for Misty to find Veronica all the best clothes she would need for a "hot sexy holiday"

"I think we have enough." Veronica said as she was eyeing all the bags in the back of the car.

"Yeah you're probably right." Laughed Misty "let's go home and get you packed! Your plane leaves in 4 hours."

"Wait?! 4 hours?? You just told me about this today!"

"Uhhh yeah, I couldn't give you time to back out."

"So you already told them I'm coming??"

"Yep. Last month."

"What....hang on....Misty...."

"No. Veronica. I'm doing this because I love you and you are incapable of making a good decision for yourself unless it's drowning in a gallon of cookies and cream ice cream. You'll thank me when you're all loved up."

\-------------------

"Welp, this is it!" Misty smiled at her friend

"Yeah.....maybe this isn't a good idea..."

"Veronica." Misty closed her eyes and sighed. "You're going."

Veronica opened her mouth to object but Misty put a finger up.

"No. Shut it. Old Veronica will get on that plane and she will not kick or scream. She will transform into New and Improved Veronica. No tears. No doubts. She will be the badass woman that I know she is. This is your transformation babe. Take it."

Veronica took her best friend's hand and squeezed it.

"What would I do without you?"

Misty smiled, "just be glad you never have to find out. Now go. Have some fun and open that big heart of yours!"

Veronica picked up her bags and made her way to the gate. Was she nuts for doing this? She whispered to herself

"This is a good thing."

Just as she was handing her ticket over she heard Misty shout,

"Veronica! If you meet a hottie see if he has a brother for me!"

Veronica laughed and waved at her friend,

"Of course babe!"  
  
  
  



	2. Girl Power?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, she did it. She got on the plane and now she's about to meet the girls.

A woman wearing a headset with a microphone and holding a clipboard was putting everyone in order. 

"Veronica!?" 

Veronica looked up. "Uhh, yeah! Here!" She said while raising her hand. All the other girls giggled. Veronica blushed.

The woman smiled, "Ok great! You'll be first to arrive and do your interview."

"Interview?? I thought I already made the show?"

The woman laughed, "Of course you did! I mean the part we show on TV as you walk out. Haven't you seen the show before?"

"Maybe like a handful of times? My schedule's kind of busy..."

"No worries love! It happens! They're ready for you, go on." 

She kind of nudged Veronica in the general direction and ran off to tell one of the other girls to stop freaking out the production crew with her tarot cards. 

As Veronica was about to enter the interview area, her phone went off. 

𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒕, 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒕

She went to turn it off when she saw who the text was from. She still hadn't changed his contact name: 

Travis ❤❤❤😘

𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒘? She thought, 𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒔

She instantly got mad at herself for being excited but what was she supposed to do? He was her first 'I love you' He was the only boy who ever made her feel worth anything, at least in the beginning. She needed to let go.

She opened the text.

𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊. 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕?? 𝙰 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚃𝚅 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠? 𝙰𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎?

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆?? 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐?

She replied,

𝚂𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢? 𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚎! 𝙵𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚏𝚏....

The response seemed almost immediate,

𝙻𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚢'𝚜 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊. 𝚂𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑. 𝙰𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛. 𝙸'𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚊 𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗.

And there it was. His true colors. Never wanting to come off as the bad guy even though he was a cocky asshole.

𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚜. 𝙸 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚊𝚐𝚘. 𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛? 𝙾𝚛 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚔 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕? 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚍𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚗.

Veronica could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. She walked over to an assistant who looked like she was having just as much of a shit day as she was.

"Excuse me? Do I have time to go to the bathroom?"

The assistant looked up and a knowing look crossed her face.

"Sure honey, are you ok?"

Veronica just stood there about to fall apart, the assistant grabbed her hand and guided her to the bathroom. She locked the door and turned to face her.

"Ok, spill."

Veronica took a deep breath and spilled her guts to this complete stranger. Tears and all. When she was done she felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her chest. 

"Wow. Ok. I honestly thought you were going to say you were nervous and maybe needed to puke." The girl laughed, "but honey, that is not Ok. You went through hell on earth, the fact that you're still holding your head up is amazing."

"Wait.....what??"

"I think you're my new hero.."

Veronica sniffled and bit her lip, "You don't think I'm weak?."

The girl smirked, "Hell no. Look. Obviously we don't know each other but can I give you some honesty? Stranger to stranger?"

"I'd like that actually." Veronica laughed at herself. "I'm just so tired of being....sad."

"Good. Luckily for you, You're like 90% there. Which, again, is amazing. Unfourtunatly, The last 10% is solely up to you." The girl leaned back against the sink. "When I was....younger, I had this "boyfriend" that I literally worshipped. Like he was my life. But I was so young that I was blind to reality." She paused to breathe, "He told me he loved me and that he would never leave me. We were young and dumb and he promised me everything I thought that love was. Then he promised my next door neighbor the same thing." She looked up to see Veronica staring at her, "Some people get really lucky and their first loves are their true loves but others like us, it fucking hurts. It hurts really bad. But you know what's great about it?"

"What?"

"We get to start fresh. We can write a different story for our lives and we've had the opportunity to see what we don't need or like."

Veronica smiled, "like lying assholes."

"Exactly! Just say No to lying assholes"

They both laughed.

"But seriously, no one is perfect and that's ok. People make mistakes and they learn from them, hopefully. But, you're about to be in a Villa with a bunch of hot people who will make mistakes ...it's TV, we live for the drama." She smiles, "I say let the past go," she points at Veronica's cellphone, "and enjoy the rest of your life. Take it from a 36 year old reality TV assistant who has 3 cats and who never took her own advice."

Veronica just stared at her and then looked down at her phone. As if reading her mind, the little ding went off. She sighed and read the text:

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎. 𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑. 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝. 𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚃𝚅.

𝑨 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉?? 𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉, 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒐𝒏𝒆. She didn't realize she read it outloud until the assistant reacted.

"Geez, what a dick. You are way lucky to be done with that ass."

Veronica smiled, "10% huh? Think a sentence will cover it?"

"I don't see why not."

Veronica wrote her reply,

𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝚒𝚏 𝙸 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝙸'𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝.

Veronica sent it, deleted his contact info and turned off her phone. 

"Ok, I'm ready."

"Great! Because they're yelling in my earpiece looking for you." She laughed, "uhh, I have eyes on her. She had a bit of nerves to shake off but she's good now, headed your way."

And with that Veronica took the first step into her new, amazing life.

When Veronica got to the interview area which was just a chair and a green screen back drop, everyone was running around.

"Here she is!! Oh Thank God! We thought you'd ran away!"

"Sorry. Nerves got the best of me. I'm good now." 

"Veronica's ready! Take a seat and just answer the questions as honestly as you can."

Veronica sat down and crossed her legs. She was actually excited. There was a big stupid grin on her face and she loved it. New me, new life. She suddenly had a thought. She looked at the lady who was fixing her hair.

"Hey, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what's up?"

Veronica handed the lady her phone, "Could you get rid of this for me?"

"Oh Honey, the assistants will come around and collect them for you and keep it safe."

"No. I mean trash it. Break it, smash it, shoot it, whatever. Just get rid of it."

The lady looked at her like she had three heads, "Destroy your PHONE?! WHY?!"

"I'll be getting a new one here right?"

"Well yes, but-"

"Then I don't need this old one anymore. I know all the important phone numbers by heart anyway." She handed the phone over to the hairdresser, "thanks love."

She watched the hairdresser walk over to the producer and say something. The producer seemed shocked and glanced over at her with an amused look on her face. She nodded her head, put a smile on her face and walked over.

"Ok Veronica, let's get this started!"

"Sure." 

"Ok, so first question, why did you decide to come on Love Island?"

"Oh wow, can meddling best friend be an answer?" She laughed

The producer laughed too, "I mean, if that's what happened then sure!"

"Well that's the truth, but I did get on the plane willingly so I guess that's not the whole truth." Veronica took a breath, "The real truth is I was in this really toxic relationship a year ago and it's time to do something for me besides cry to Dirty Dancing." She winked at the camera and smiled

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒎 𝑰? 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒅𝒐 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉?

"Fair enough, although great movie. So next question, what's your type?"

"Well, first off, no liars. Period. I just want someone to make me feel wanted and keep a smile on my face. Someone that I can have conversations with, about anything. Good looks are a plus too." Veronica smiled and let out a giggle, "I mean who doesn't want to just be swept off their feet right?"

"Most of our audience! So, how do you feel about drama?"

Veronica made a face, "I hate it, but honestly? I think drama is inevitable and honestly life without it is boring. Of course too much gives me a headache." She smiles, "But a little bit can be entertaining."

"For sure, drama sells! Ok so last question," she grins, "why did you get rid of your cellphone? I have to say in all the years I've been doing this, that's a first."

"Well, I've decided I don't want anything that is still connected to my life a year ago. I.....lost myself. And I hated it. Sometimes, well sometimes you have to cut off dead ends. I suppose that's why some girls change up their hair after a break up." She looks directly into the camera, "I can't speak for everyone watching obviously, but for me, Travis Carver was the biggest dead end of my life and this is me, cutting it off."

"Wow. I love it! You are going to be a fan favorite for sure!" The producer clapped her hands and stood up, "ok so now just some pictures and filler videos, then we'll get you in the Villa." She winked and ran off.

\---------------------------

"Is this real life??" Veronica said, mostly to herself as there really wasn't anyone else around, at least that she could see. 

She looked up at the massive building in front of her. 'The Villa' as everyone called it. Her "home" for the next month, well maybe, if things went well. One month to find Love. People say you could fall in love in three days so she guessed it was possible. Honestly she wanted it to be possible. To find someone and be happy. She meant that when she said it in the interview. She was ready to be swept off her feet, she deserved it after all the heartbreak she'd experienced.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a voice.

"Oh wow!! Hi!! It's so awesome to meet you! I'm Hope!"

"Hey, I'm Veronica." 

Hope stuck her hand out and Veronica shook it. 𝑨 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍 she thought but let it go.

"I can not believe we're here!! I'm so excited! How about you?"

"I'm actually a little nervous to be honest." 

Hope frowned a little then smiled, "Just stick with me Babes, you'll be fine. I can't wait to see these guys we'll be hooking up with. Let's go inside and check out the bedroom!" Hope extended her arm and Veronica latched on laughing, "oh girl, I almost tripped getting out of the car, I hope they don't air that...."

The bedroom was amazing, Hope said so 3 times, but honestly she wasn't wrong. 

"Can you believe we're all going to be sharing a bed with a guy we just met?" Hope was speaking so fast now that Veronica felt like her head was spinning. 

"I hope I fancy one of them." Veronica said, "but I'm sure they'll all be gorgeous!"

Hope looked like she was already dreaming of what could happen, "yeah for sure." She said dreamily 

Just then a door opened, a beautiful pale girl ran up and hugged Veronica.

"Hey girls, I'm Lottie! Can you believe this is happening?" She looked Hope and Veronica up and down, "You two are going to be some fierce competition." She pointed at Veronica, "Your outfit is fantastic!" Then to Hope, "I love your makeup!"

Hope responded immediately, "I'm Hope and this is Veronica," she says as she pointed at you, "Getting my look right is super important to me." 

"I like to spend time getting all dressed up for big nights. Which if I'm honest, I haven't had a big night in ages." Veronica blushed at the confession she just made. She wasn't embarrassed just didn't want to seem pathetic.

Lottie smiled, "I totally get that! Sometimes you just want to chill out and wear cozy pajamas right?" Hope gave a look. "I'm a makeup artist so it's just part of me. What do you do Veronica?"

"I'm actually studying Health and Fitness."

"Trying to find someone to get sweaty with huh?" Lottie laughed at her own joke.

Veronica laughed too, "You're not wrong I guess."

Suddenly someone poked their head around the door.

"Oh wow! I'm so glad I'm not the first one here! I'm Hannah."

"Hey Hannah. I'm Veronica, this is Lottie and that's Hope."

"I hope I haven't missed anything exciting." Hannah wondered 

Hope chimed in, "No not at all! We were just talking about the guys. I don't know about you all but I feel like I've been single forever! My work schedule makes it hard to meet up."

"What about you Veronica?" Lottie asked, "You're gorgeous, how on earth are you single?"

𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒈𝒐, 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒕 𝒗𝒂𝒈𝒖𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒑 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒘

"My last relationship was a long term one but it obviously went south. I'm ready to start fresh." Veronica hoped that would appease them.

"Well it's totally his loss babe." 

"Thanks Lottie, I appreciate that." Lottie reached over and squeezed Veronica's hand.

"For me things just never get serious," added Hope, "again, probably due to my career. I put it first most of the time."

"All I seem to find are liars, cheaters....basically tools." Said Lottie 

"Where are all the good men?" Said Hannah, "I just want to meet someone like in my books." She stared off into the distance.

"Don't believe everything in Fairy Tales Hannah. Sometimes Prince Charming really is just a toad. The hard part is knowing you put so much time into one person only to realize they were the wrong person the entire time." Veronica looked down at her hands, she could feel the others looking at her.

Lottie spoke up first, "But that's why we're here right? To find our soul twin."

"I'm sorry, soul what?" 

The girls looked over to the new voice, it was another girl. She had an amused look on her face and she was looking at Lottie.

"Soul Twin.....it's the correct term for 'soul mates'" Lottie explained 

"Hey! I'm Veronica," she hugged her, "What's your name?"

"I'm Marisol and just going to put it out there. I don't believe in soul mates or soul twins or anything like that."

"I like that!" Piped in Hannah, "My soul twin is out there, somewhere, right now. Isn't that exciting?!"

All the girls shared a few glances. Hannah was a bit of a dreamer which could be bad in this environment. 

"Totally! And we're going to help you find him. Aren't we girls?" Chimed in Lottie, "We're a team now. I don't want to fight over some guy."

"Listen, I'm all for getting along but if I see what I want I'll go for it, sorry if that makes things difficult." Marisol shrugged 

𝑾𝒐𝒘, 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕.

"I have to agree to an extent. I think Girl Power is awesome but at the end of the day this is about finding something that we've clearly not found outside of here. I really want to find someone special and handing over a guy you have a real connection with to someone who just wants a bit of fun is a little crazy to me." Veronica looked at Lottie after speaking, "Does that make sense?"

Lottie raised an eyebrow, "Well guess we know where you stand."

Hope spoke up, "Oh come on Lottie, Veronica wasn't meaning..."

Just then they heard a ding. Lottie pulled out her cellphone.

"I'm the first one to say it! Ladies! I got a text!" 

𝙻𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚞𝚢! 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚍𝚞𝚍? 𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢! 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚐𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙! #𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 #𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚕𝙿𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛

"Who do you think will go first?" Asked Hannah 

𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒎𝒆 Veronica thought 

There's another ding, this time it's Veronica's phone. She opened it and read

𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎!

Lottie smiled, "Good Luck babes!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! As my first fanfiction I'm just having fun and enjoying the escape it brings 🙂


	3. Types of Love.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica meets the boys. Will there be an amazing romance? 
> 
> *panic attack is depicted in this chapter*

Veronica pasted a smile on her face and walked outside. There, in front of a huge pool, stood 5 gorgeous guys. 

𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝐶𝑟𝑎𝑝, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑧𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝐼 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒?

The first guy waved and smiled. "Hey! You doing alright? Name's Gary." 

𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙, 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑠𝑎𝑦 ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑡. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝒐𝒇 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑠. 𝐵𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑐𝑙𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑.

"Hey Gary! I'm good," she bit her lip, "Just enjoying the view."

Gary winked

𝑂𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑠 𝐷𝑢𝑑𝑒

Veronica moved to boy #2. He was much more subtle and quiet.

"Hello. I'm Noah."

Veronica just looked at him but he was like a mystery. Giving nothing away. She shrugged and continued down the line.

"Hey Beautiful, I feel like we are connecting already." He winks, "I'm Rocco."

𝑈𝑔ℎ, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦? 𝐼𝑠 ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠? She gave him a weak smile and looked to his left, where an amazingly fit guy was standing. He was like a Greek God but he was standing there like he wasn't comfortable in his own skin. 

𝑀𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑦?

"Girl, you're like a hole in one..."

"Uhhh, oh yeah?"

Some of the other guys laughed a bit. He frowned.

"Y-yeah....because you, uh, well you're awesome?"

𝑊𝑜𝑎ℎ....𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝐼 𝑠𝑒𝑒..

"Was that meant to be a question?" She giggled, "but thank you, I am pretty awesome."

He looked down at his feet and kicked the grass. "I'm Ibrahim, by the way..."

𝑂𝑘....𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡....

"Hey Gorgeous, saving the best for last I see." His smile was genuine and Veronica felt like she'd known him for ages. "I'm like the yummy dessert at the end of a long line of beefcake. My name is Bobby."

Veronica threw her head back and let out a real laugh. It felt great. This guy would definitely keep her laughing.

"Are you saying you're sweeter than the rest?"

"Why don't you pick me and find out." He winked

Veronica's phone dinged.

𝙾𝙺, 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎! 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚢𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚐𝚘 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎. 𝙰𝚜𝚔 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎!

Veronica read the text again.

𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆? 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒎?? 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂

Veronica looked at the guys and took a breath.

"Ok, so, if you like what you see boys, please step forward."

Gary was first to step forward followed quickly by Rocco, Ibrahim and Bobby

𝑾𝒉𝒐𝒂. 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎? 

Veronica smiled at them. 

"Wow, you guys really know how to make a girl feel welcome. Usually I'd ask a ton of questions but this is Love Island so I'm just going to throw caution to the wind. I pick....Noah!"

She watched as the other guys looked a bit crestfallen. Gary had a confused look on his face, Rocco actually didn't seem too bothered, Ibrahim sighed and shrugged his shoulders and Bobby seemed taken aback for 2 seconds but then pulled himself together fairly quickly.

Noah broke into a huge smile.

"Oh wow, I can't believe you picked me. I didn't think I'd be your type."

"Is that why you didn't step forward?"

"Basically, yeah."

"You should have more faith in yourself." Veronica walked over to him and kissed his cheek. 

𝑾𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆...she bit her lip and smiled to herself, she could hear Misty yelling at the TV. She'd be annoyed that Veronica picked the quiet boy. But she would understand why. He was the least like Travis out of the bunch. In fact the others were like pieces of him made into different guys. Looks, charm, athletic and funny. She had made huge strides, especially in the last 24hrs on letting him go but she still needed a bit more time and being with Noah would help her ease into it. She felt awful that she didn't pick him for any other reason except that. Throwing caution to the wind? Yeah right, she was holding her heart on lockdown for the time being because honestly she didn't trust it at all. Being with someone that was definitely not her type would help soothe the cracks. This was necessary.

Within minutes, Lottie came strolling out.

"Hey boys! I'm just going to go right into it, if any of you fancy me, step forward."

Rocco stepped up. Lottie looked annoyed.

"Only one of you think you can handle me?" She raises an eyebrow at them then turns back to Rocco, "What's your name hot stuff?"

"Rocco."

"Well then. The guy I want to couple up with is Rocco."

She walked over to him and pecked him on the cheek.

Noah nudged Veronica.

"What do you think of that?"

"I think it'll definitely be entertaining." She saw Lottie eyeing her and smiled. Lottie winked.

Next out was Marisol. Veronica couldn't get a read on her personality at all. She was obviously very educated but Veronica guessed she lacked a bit of social skills needed for this type of competition. Which meant drama was looming.

Marisol walked up and down the line of guys. It was like she was judging livestock at the fair. It was a bit weird. 

"You can tell alot about the way people present themselves. Like this guy." She pointed at Ibrahim, "I feel like there's something deeper in you than maybe even you know."

𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑷𝒔𝒚𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔?? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕? 

Next thing she knew, Marisol picked Ibrahim and he looked terrified.

"Only two left mates." Said Gary, he seemed a little down that he hadn't been picked yet. Veronica rolled her eyes. 

𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍. 𝑯𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏

There was a shout and out ran Hope. She looked over the line of guys. She looked annoyed for a minute then clasped her hands in front of her.

"Look. All the girls know I came here to find that special someone. Like, I'm all in, but in doing so, I'm going to step on someone's toes and I'm sorry. This girl seemed super sweet and I hope we can still be friends after this.'

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕?

"Just going on first impressions this guy is the hottest guy I've ever seen. Like Babe, you got me melting over here." She waved a hand at her face, "Sorry Veronica, I choose Noah."

Veronica stood there silent for a moment. She was aware that everyone was staring at her especially Hope. 

𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒊𝒕! 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏! 𝑺𝒂𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈!

She smiled at Hope and put her hands up in surrender, "Hey, no problem, I've only known him for 30 minutes right? But, what happens now?"

There was a ding.

𝙰𝚠𝚠𝚠, 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊! 𝚂𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚋 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝.

"Ok hold on!" Lottie was annoyed, "You said you're all for the group and yet you immediately steal Veronica's guy?! That's messed up Hope!'

Hope glared at Lottie, "I have to be honest with how I feel Lottie! Veronica understands that."

"Oh does she?? Because I think-"

"Hey! I'm right here! Stop arguing! I don't need anyone feeling sorry for me. Hope, it's fine. Really." Lottie huffed, "And Lottie, Noah wasn't even 'my guy' yet. I've literally said like 10 words to him. I'm really not bothered." Lottie looked pissed but also impressed that Veronica wasn't really bothered. Veronica made her way to the bench. She decided to add something so people didn't think she was a push over. She flipped her hair, "But just so you know Hope, he's not technically your guy either yet. I'll still be chatting with everyone." She winked. Hope actually laughed

"Hey, alls fair in Love and War right?"

Veronica smiled, "You said it."

Once Veronica sat down, her panic mode kicked in. 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒚. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏. He could have been a long lost relative to Travis. That's how similar they looked.

Finally, Hannah walked out. She looked like a deer in headlights.

"O.....M.....G!!!"

𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕? Veronica blinked and was super confused how someone as sweet and innocent like Hannah would even decide to come on a show like this. 𝑨𝒎 𝑰 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕?? 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚....

"It's like the first time I went to the stables and picked out a pony!" Hannah squealed. Like, she really did. 

Veronica burst out laughing and quickly covered her mouth. Bobby smirked at her.

"I am so sorry Hannah, I uhh, I was just thinking of something funny that happened earlier today during the photoshoot."

Hannah frowned. "It's ok..." she pulled herself together, "so whoever fancies me, please step forward!"

No one moved an inch. 

Lottie was quick to speak up.

"Come on guys, she's gorgeous! Any of you would be lucky to end up with someone like her."

Rocco shrugged and went to step forward. Lottie put a hand across his chest and scowled. 

"Not you!"

Just then Gary stepped forward. Veronica assumed it was only because he didn't want to be picked last or in this case, shackled to the loser on the sub bench, aka her. Which was fine because he was the last person she wanted to be with. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"You are fit. Just wasn't sure if I was your type." He grinned

𝑶𝒐𝒇, 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚? 𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈.

"Sweetie, right now you're my knight in shining armor." Hannah struck a pose and Veronica could swear everyone watching this had to be cringing hard. 

Everyone looked over at Veronica on the Loser's, I mean "sub" bench. Bobby clapped his hands together.

"Welp! Looks like it's me and you, Veronica." Bobby was standing there with a slightly amused look on his face. He pointed at the others, "These guys don't know what they're missing." He walked over to Veronica and got down on one knee, "Will you be my fellow Love Island reject? I promise we will definitely make fun of the others and I'll even bake you a cupcake." He winked at her.

Veronica put her hand out and Bobby took it in his own. 

"Of course!" She smiled, "I'd love that! Cupcakes with sprinkles are my favorite."

"Ah! A woman of taste. How refreshing." He stood up and wrapped his arm around her waist giving her a reassuring hug.

"Wow you two, get a room." Said Lottie but she was grinning from ear to ear. "Ok ladies, let's all get to know our men"

All the girls shouted things like, 'woohoo' and 'yay'! Veronica giggled and looked at Bobby.

"Speechless huh?" He laughed. "Come on, let's chat." He pulled her over to an area with comfy bean bags. "So, not feeling it with anyone?" He tilted his head to the side which made him look like an adorable puppy.

"Well I mean, I did pick Noah...."

He laughed, "Yeah that's right, you did." His smile vanished and his face got serious, he sighed, "Veronica, people like us, don't pick people like Noah."

Veronica narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Hey now! Don't go all Ice Queen on me." He gave her a sad smile, "All I mean, is that we're both free spirits who like to just enjoy life. We take on every awkward moment head first, even when we're the ones creating those moments. We're weird and that's ok." He leaned forward, "So who was the jerk that ruined that for you?"

Veronica just stared at him. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅.

"And don't worry, I'm not Lottie. I can't read your mind. I've just seen that look before."

"What look?"

"The 'I've been hurt so I'm guarding myself by playing it safe' look. It's written all over your face."

Veronica sighed, "Is it that obvious?" 

"To me? Yeah. To the others? Not so much." He shrugged, "I've been there, so I'm familiar with it."

"Someone broke your heart too?"

"She basically danced the Jig on it, then set it on fire and then grinded it up into little bitty pieces and I'm pretty convinced she drank it with her coffee in the mornings." 

"Damn. That's....harsh...."

"That's heartbreak, Lass."

Veronica closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them Bobby was looking at her ready to listen. It was strange how much she felt connected to him. Not in a romantic sense but like they were supposed to know each other. 

"His name was Travis and he cheated on me with my cousin."

"And?"

She crossed her arms, "and that's all I'm comfortable with sharing at the moment."

He nodded, "That's fair. No pressure." He smiled, "So what brings you to Love Island anyway?"

"An annoying friend," she laughed, "But....I'm really embarrassed to admit this...it's been a year and I NEED to move on."

"Right. First off, great choice in friends. Annoying ones are often the best kind. Second, I have a proposal for you." He steepled his fingers and narrowed his eyes.

"Didn't you already propose once today? Knee and all?"

Bobby laughed. He had one of those infectious laughs that made you want to know him. 

"Yeah I guess I did. But you did say 'Yes' so I guess I'll push my luck."

"Ok, shoot."

"Well, not trying to jump to anymore conclusions, although I've been right up to this point, but I don't think we're the next great romance in here. Do you?"

"No not really, I'm sorry..."

"Why are you apologizing? It's totally OK." He held up 2 fingers. "Scout's Honor. I do think we could help each other though."

"Ok, I'm listening."

"Well, an annoying friend helped me get here too but I'm really not looking for anything. Except for some good quality fun," he looked at Veronica who made a face, "Not that kind of fun! Relax....you're beautiful, I mean, I'm still a man but I want to help you. You're probably the only person here that will find my jokes funny and I need my audience. So....I propose we stay together until you find your prince charming. What do you say?"

"So, if we're in a safe couple like you're implying, what does that make us?"

"Well from where I'm sitting, it would make us.....friends." He stuck out his hand, "so how about it Veronica? Will you be my friend?"

She broke into a huge smile, laughed and grabbed his hand, "You better believe it!" 

\----------------------------------

Misty stared at the screen. She was speechless.....Misty? Speechless? That was unheard of!

"What are you doing Veronica??" She said outloud in her living room.

She was so hyped when she watched Veronica's first interview, she was definitely New and Improved Veronica but then she chose Noah. Misty may have thrown some popcorn at her screen on that decision. She understood. He was like the Anti Travis and damn that Gary guy was like a blonde version of him. But Noah?? Boring with a capital B. Yawn City. But then, a miracle happened and that Hope girl stole the boring librarian away from Veronica and Misty must admit there was a few fist pumps for that one. Then she got paired with Bobby. Bless that boy! He was hot and funny. Seriously the whole package and yet they agreed to be in a friendship couple?? Did he secretly really like her and he was trying to get her to fall in love with him? Misty hoped not. Veronica was a loyal friend and if that happened she'd be hurt. But there was something about Bobby that seemed real. Seemed safe. All Misty could do now was hope for the best and cheer her beautiful friend on from her living room.

"Annoying friend? Seriously Veronica??" Misty laughed, "she's not wrong though..."

\-------------------------

Veronica and Bobby had just finished their conversation when Lottie called them over to the kitchen.

"Get over here you two!! Drink time!"

On our way Lottie!" Yelled Bobby. He stood up and offered his hand to you, "Let's go."

When they reached the drink area Rocco was finishing up some travel story.

"And that's why you always pack 4 pairs of underwear."

Veronica raised her eyebrow at Lottie. She just shook her head and laughed. "Wow babe, thanks for that, definitely won't forget."

Marisol was staring at Veronica and Bobby. 

"Bet if you took a picture you could stare at us all day Marisol." Said Veronica as she rolled her eyes.

Oh! Sorry, it's a bad habit....I just find human interaction fascinating."

"Huh, you hear that Ronnie? We're fascinating!"

Lottie was confused. "Who the hell is Ronnie?"

Bobby looked at Veronica and grinned, "uhh, her? Ve- RON-ica? So, ya know? Ronnie."

Veronica laughed and kissed him on the cheek, "I love it!"

Bobby smiled, "knew you would.....so how about those drinks fellas?"

\---------------------

"So Bobby, seems like you and Veronica hit it off pretty fast huh?" 

Bobby looked up from pouring drinks to see Gary eyeing him.

"Yeah I suppose so....she's a cool girl, tough luck Noah, course you and Hope seem tight already."

Noah seemed a bit uncomfortable. "Yeah, Hope's great. I just get the feeling that she takes control of everything. I'm a bit more, reserved.'

"You? Reserved? Never would have guessed that mate." Gary nudged Noah in the ribs. The other guys laughed

"Sometimes opposites attract. You and Hope seem destined to collide like two comets blazing through space."

Bobby raised an eyebrow at Rocco. How did this guy ever get girls? He imagined he hung around Universities and hit on the new young girls who had no clue what a mistake a guy like Rocco could be.

"What about you Ibrahim? How does Marisol seem?" Noah asked trying to change the subject.

"Truthfully, she seems, talkative." 

The guys waited for more but that was it.

"Talkative? Like what do you mean?'

He sighed, "She's just constantly talking about everything. I can't keep up. By the time I think of something to say, she's already moved on to a different subject."

"Maybe she just talks alot when she's nervous?" Asked Bobby

"I don't know man, she doesn't seem like the type that gets nervous."

Gary jumped in, "At least none of you are with Hannah," he rolled his eyes, "All she talks about is books. She said she was imagining me in a suit of armor, riding a white steed. So I said I'm more comfortable riding in a crane. She thought I meant a bird and then launched into a storyline about how we were the size of peas and rode birds and mice around. It was maddening."

"Hannah's a dreamer. I like that." Said Rocco

Bobby rolled his eyes, he only liked it because she'd believe anything he said. The more outrageous the better.

"How's it going with Lottie?"

"Lottie is an enigma wrapped up in a mystery. She leaves the mind guessing and I'm excited about us exploring our connection."

"So she's a mystery wrapped up in a mystery?" Noah seemed confused, "you do know that enigma means mystery right?"

"Oh, uhm, yeah. That's just how mysterious she is. Two times the mystery."

Bobby glanced at Noah. They both knew this guy was full of it. 

"Ok, so everyone seems good and loved up then??" All the guys laughed

\----------------------------

"What is taking the guys so long to pour ten drinks?" 

"Right? We've been waiting for ages."

"It's literally been 10 minutes." Said Veronica. These girls were impatient. 

"Well it feels like an eternity!" Said Hannah as she dramatically fell into Lottie's lap. 

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒅𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒚? 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 4 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔.

"Ok girls, enough complaining! Let's talk about these boys." Hope said, "Noah is such a dream!" She looked at Veronica, "I really am sorry, I just felt this immediate connection to him. I swear it wasn't malicious." She put her hand on top of Veronica's.

"It's seriously fine Hope."

"No it's not!"

𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒈𝒐, 𝑳𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔.

"Even if you did feel a 'connection' you should have just waited for the next recoupling. Then at least Veronica could have got to know him."

"That is ridiculous. Why should I have to wait to get to know someone?" Hope demanded

"Hope is right Lottie. All the boys were fair game. It's not like it was an actual coupling. It was purely on first impressions. You can't blame someone for having an instant connection." Marisol crossed her arms, "Anyway, I'd like to discuss Ibrahim with you girls if you don't mind."

Lottie looked dumbfounded. Apparently she was not used to being shut down like that but Veronica was grateful for it.

"Sure." Said Hope

"Great. If I'm being honest, it's not going anywhere. He's too quiet. Too much in his own mind. I thought he had hidden depths but now I'm not so sure. What you see is what you get."

"It's only been 4 hours. Sometimes a connection takes more time, but I don't think Gary and I are hitting it off either." She starts to tear up, "He hates my stories."

"Well, sorry to be that girl but Rocco and I have a good connection. He's a bit out there but that body." She closes her eyes.

"What about you Veronica? You and Bobby already seem super close. He already has a nickname for you." Hannah was smiling and staring at her, they all were

"Oh, right. I mean, yeah, Bobby's great."

"Just great? He's gorgeous and funny. And he can bake!"

"Yeah, besides Hope and Noah, you are the strongest couple."

𝑾𝒂𝒊𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒑𝒍𝒆? 𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆? 𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓.

Finally the boys came over with a tray full of drinks.

"Sorry for the wait girls." Said Noah

"It's absolutely fine." Hope said

The Islanders sipped their drinks and chatted away. After awhile there was a ding. It was Ibrahim's phone.

"Hey, I got a text!"

"What's it say?" Asked Marisol

𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚗! 𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚐𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚃𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚛 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚎! #𝚃𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎 #𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍

"Truth or Dare? Are we at Summer Camp?" Marisol rolled her eyes

"Don't be like that Marisol, it'll be fun." Said Veronica 

"Yeah Ronnie's right, we'll have a great time! I hope one of the dares is to lick someone else's toes." 

Hannah gasped and the others laughed. 

\-------------------------

Veronica was relaxing on the Daybeds reflecting on everything that had happened. The game of Truth or Dare was revealing. She chose Truth because she was concerned Dare would have her making out with someone. By picking Truth she had to reveal who she thought the most attractive person was. She said Ibrahim because his body was insane and she figured everyone would get that. Instead Lottie called her out for 'playing the game.' She just couldn't win with these girls. Then Bobby chose Dare and had to kiss the girl he fancied the most. He chose her and in a snap decision she decided to deepen the kiss since everyone thought they were a strong couple. She hoped Bobby wasn't weirded out by it. There was definitely no spark so at least that was ruled out.

But then, the worse thing happened. Gary pulled her aside and said he thought they had chemistry. She immediately shot him down and yes, she could had been nicer about it but she was terrified. She had to make it clear to him. And then there was the text about a party tonight and possibly a new Islander. Veronica sighed. 

"Bored already?"

She opened her eyes and saw Bobby standing over her. She smiled.

"Just thinking about everything that's happened today. I actually wanted to talk to you."

Bobby made a shocked face. "Are you breaking up with me?!"

Veronica laughed, "You know that's not it." She poked him in the ribs. He sat down next her.

"I know, what's up?"

"Well, first off, I'm sorry if I freaked you out by kissing you like that, it's just that the girls think we're like this strong couple and I had planned to talk to you about how we should play it but the game happened and..."

"Hey, it's fine." He put his hand on her shoulder and she relaxed a little, "Slow down and breathe." He imitated a yoga pose. "Apparently in here being friends means you can't enjoy each other's company. The guys also think we've 'hit it off.' But, I will say, kissing you was nice but there were no fireworks I'm afraid." He glanced at her

"Same for me." She hesitated, "Can I be honest?" He nodded for her to continue. "I kind of wish there had been. I never am attracted to sweet guys....just tools." She started to feel tears well up in her eyes.

He swooped her up in a hug, "Hey," he whispered, "it's ok."

She nuzzled into his neck and let the tears fall. She was extremely grateful for him in that moment. She breathed in. He smelled like a sugar cookie but a manly one. She giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"You smell like a manly sugar cookie."

He chuckled, "That might be the nicest compliment I've ever gotten." They pulled apart from the hug.

He took his thumbs and wiped her tears away from under her eyes. To the outside it might look like an intimate moment but that was just Bobby. Kind and caring for others.

He leaned into her and gave her another hug. "You know, this show is called 'Love Island' but there's many different types of love. Romantic, which we're going to find for you. Family, which runs deep and will always be there and Friendly, which is what we have, Lass. In all honesty, it's the best kind because it's a healing kind of love. True friendship is rare and I'm so glad that our paths have crossed."

"Why are you so nice to me? We were strangers 8 hours ago."

He cleared his throat, "When Cara," he paused to think about his words, "when she chose to end things between us, I had nobody in my corner. I had left my job, my family, basically everything for her and so when I needed a friend, there were none to be found. She had single handedly shut me off from my entire life prior to her and then she left me alone and broken." He stopped talking and seemed to be deep in thought. He shook his head, "Anyway, when I saw you walk out today I saw that pain in your eyes and I immediately knew you needed a friend in here and I decided I would be that friend." He took her hand. "This won't end in some blazing romance between us and I'm really sorry because who wouldn't want that?" He laughed, "But, you're my person and I'm not going anywhere." He smiled at her.

"Ok, swoon! Geez Bobby! Pretty sure you just melted the audience's hearts." She laughed 

"Did you really say 'swoon?!' Friendship over!" And they both burst into a fit of laughter. 

"Ok, ok," Veronica was trying to get back to the conversation, "so just to be clear, how should we act in our couple? I don't want it to look like something it's not, especially if someone comes in that one of us really likes."

"That's fair. I say we just keep enjoying each other's company. It's not our faults what others think. But no more deep kisses, obviously."

"Agreed."

\---------------------------

All the girls were talking at once while getting ready for the party.

"I'd like another girl."

"We need to stick together"

"What if she wants Gary?"

Veronica was thinking about asking one of the crew members for a Tylenol when Hope got her attention.

"Do you think Bobby's head could be turned by a new girl?"

"Maybe, I mean I want him to be happy."

The girls stared at her in disbelief.

"Seriously? You two are so sweet together! Total couple goals!"

"Are we? We're just enjoying each other's company."

Lottie smiled, "Is that what we're calling it now?"

Veronica rolled her eyes, "Nothing has happened between us. We're just friends."

"Right. Of course. My friends always kiss me like that." Marisol winked

She narrowed her eyes, "Then you must have some amazing friends. Keep them close." And with that she stormed out

𝑼𝒈𝒉, 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎? 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈

Veronica was so lost in thought she didn't see Rocco until she slammed right into him.

"Shit!"

"Oh! I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention..."

Rocco realized who it was and smiled. 

"Veronica. I was actually hoping we'd get some alone time."

She swallowed, "Alone time?"

"Look Veronica, I'm just going to come out and say it. You're gorgeous. You're a timeless beauty." He reached out and grabbed her waist. "It would be a shame to not see where we could go with each other." 

She grabbed his hand and ripped it off her. "Are you serious right now?!" She was furious, "What about Lottie?!"

"If you're into that we can add her to the mix."

"You're disgusting! How dare you make a pass at me! Lottie is my friend and I would never do that to her. Besides, you are a slimeball! This is not how you treat women, Rocco! No wonder you're still single and traveling the world in a food truck. Get away from me!" She shoved him out of the way and ran off.

She had just made it to the living room when she could feel the panic attack rising. 

𝑵𝒐....𝒏𝒐....𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏. 𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆. 𝑪𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆.

She hadn't had a panic attack in over a year. She just had to focus. It would go away. She was on her knees trying to steady her breathing when Noah walked in.

"Hey Hope, you read- Oh my God! Veronica are you ok?!" He ran over to her and put a hand on her back. "Just breathe. Hey, look at me. It's ok. Hey! Somebody get Bobby!"

They heard someone yell for Bobby and within minutes he was right by her side.

"What happened?!" 

"I'm not sure, I came in to find Hope and she was her on her knees. Seems like she had a panic attack. I used to have them alot."

Bobby looked up at him, "Thanks for staying with her."

"No problem." Noah went upstairs to find Hope 

Veronica put her head in her hands.

"I'm so embarrassed!"

"Why are you embarrassed? Things like that happen. Are you ok? That's what matters."

"I haven't had an attack in a year. Fucking Rocco...."

Bobby looked confused, "What does Rocco have to do with it?"

She looked sick to her stomach, "He...he was hitting on me. Then he put his hand on my waist and I lost it. I was so pissed that he'd do that to Lottie."

"He made a move on you? I'll kill him."

Veronica half laughed. "Calm down, I can't have you getting kicked out of here. I'll be ok. I'm feeling better now."

Bobby shook his head, "No, Listen. He made a pass at you and it upset you so much you had a panic attack. That's not ok."

"I really don't want this to be a big deal. Please?"

"I'm still telling him to back the hell off. He's a piece of shit." He looked over at her still shaking. "You want to talk about it?"

She looked at him, "I already told you."

"I don't mean Rocco. You know what I mean."

She sighed in defeat, "Can it wait? I just want to enjoy tonight."

"Sure." He took her hand, "let's party.

\---------------------------

Veronica couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. She danced, laughed and she didn't feel sad one time. It felt amazing and she was ready for it to be like this for the rest of her time here at the Villa and beyond.

As Lottie was discussing the importance of tarot cards there was a ding.

"I got a text!" Yelled Hannah

"Hey Hannah, we're all here. No need to scream." Said Bobby as he acted like he couldn't hear

𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚛 #𝚋𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 #𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍

As they were waiting they heard the sound of heels approaching and a beautiful woman appeared from around the corner. The boys all stood up to say hello. Bobby gave a reassuring squeeze to Veronica's hand before heading over.

"She's stunning." Said Veronica 

"Ugh! Of course she is! She's here to steal our men!" Said Lottie louder than necessary 

"Well I'm going to go meet her, anyone else?" Hope looked at the group of girls expectantly

"I'll go." Chimed in Marisol 

"I'm staying here." Said Lottie as she crossed her arms.

"I'll stay with Lottie." Hannah said.

They were all looking at Veronica. She figured she should go meet the new girl especially since earlier when she tried to discuss Rocco to Lottie she was accused of misunderstanding and overreacting.

"I'm going over there."

"Typical. Need a spoon to help stir that pot of yours?" Lottie glared at her

She just turned her back to her and walked over to the group.

"Here they are!" Said the guys

"Hey, it's so nice to meet you! I'm Veronica."

"I'm Priya!" Said the girl, she pulled Veronica into a tight hug. "Thanks for making me feel welcome "

"Of course! You're not the enemy."

Priya glanced at Lottie, "Some people might not agree with you."

"Well some people are wrong."

Everyone started to swarm Priya asking questions. Even Lottie managed to make her way over.

"So anyone caught your eye yet?" Asked Hope 

𝑶𝒉 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝑵𝒐𝒂𝒉, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆

Veronica laughed at the thought. Hope would lose it.

"Well, I've just met you all but Ibrahim is definitely my type. Bobby seems sweet too." Priya seemed embarrassed to admit who she liked to the group.

"Well I for one can't wait to get to know more about you." Said Rocco 

"Rocco, I think we need to have a word." Snapped Lottie 

\------‐-------------

Veronica was getting ready for bed. 

𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒏!

She looked up and saw Bobby looking a little shy.

"You ok?"

"Uh yeah. I'm fine....look, I just realized that we'll be sharing a bed together. I don't want things to be awkward. I can sleep outside "

Veronica laughed, "Bobby it's fine. I trust you more than most. I actually enjoy cuddling. Unless that's weird."

"No way. I usually cuddle my dog at home. She's a bed hog."

"You have a dog? What's her name?"

"Riley. She's a Great Dane. I would be lost without that dog." He zoned out a little, "Hey, there's another type of love. Unconditional pet love." He smiled

"I have a cat. His name is Reginald. But I call him Reggie." She glanced at Bobby, "My therapist recommended i get a pet, to help with the nightmares"

"Mine was to help with those too."

They both stared at each other. A silent understanding flashed between them

"Guys! I got a text!" yelled Priya

𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚢𝚊, 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚟𝚞𝚕𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎. #𝙶𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗 #𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝

"Guess we should get some sleep. Interesting day tomorrow."


	4. It's Only Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica and Bobby share their pasts with one another. And Priya picks a guy.
> 
> *suicide, domestic violence is in this chapter

"Veronica...."

"Hmmm?"

"Veronica, wake up, I need to talk to you."

Veronica forced her eyes open to see Lottie staring at her.

"Geez Lottie!"

"Shhh!" She put a finger up to her mouth and pointed to one of the beds that had Hope and Noah under the covers giggling. "Don't bother the married couple. Can we go upstairs and talk?"

"Uhhh, yeah sure. I'll be right there."

Lottie smiled and walked off. 

𝑾𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍, 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔

"What do you think she wants?" Bobby whispered next to her

Veronica jumped. 

"What is up with everyone scaring me today?!"

Bobby chuckled, "Sorry, wasn't my intention. You sleep ok?"

Veronica stretched and rubbed her eyes, "actually yeah, better than normal. You're pretty comfy."

Bobby smiled, "That's why I don't have huge muscles. Cuddly is always better."

"Bobby, you're totally fit."

"I know," Bobby sighed, "It's such a crime being the ultimate package. Looks, personality....cupcakes. I don't even know why the others try."

Veronica giggled. "You're such a goofball. Don't ever change."

"Pinky promise I won't. So, better go talk to Lottie and I guess I still need to have a chat with Rocco."

Veronica looked down at her hands.

"Hey, you know that wasn't your fault right? He was in the wrong, not you." He looked at her picking at the cover, "Don't forget we need to chat too." 

She sighed, "yeah, I know."

He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Everything is going to work out. Now go get ready."

\--------------------------

Veronica found Lottie on the roof terrace drinking some tea. She looked a little sad. 

"Hey, what did you want to talk about?"

Lottie looked up. Then looked away.

"I actually wanted to apologize. For last night. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you." She got up and walked over to the railing and leaned on it with her back facing Veronica. "I talk a big talk about girl code and being loyal yet I can be so quick to judge."

Veronica let the words hang in the air. She was actually really shocked she was getting an apology. She assumed an apology from Lottie was a hard thing to get. She walked over to Lottie and looked over the lawn.

"Listen, I understand why you got defensive. It was Day 1 and I came at you telling you something......" she thought about how to word it, "not nice about your partner. Then Priya showed up and I know it must have been overwhelming for you." She looked at Lottie, she seemed to be debating what she just heard.

"I'd like to be friends Lottie. I can tell you have a big heart and care about others...." she nudged her, "Maybe a little too much sometimes." She laughed and saw Lottie smile. "Friends?"

Lottie turned to face Veronica. She smiled. "Friends." They hugged. " I talked to Rocco and he told me what happened. He's claiming he had too much to drink but I don't believe that. He was wrong. I'm sorry you had to experience it."

"Thank you, I really appreciate that."

"Am I wrong to still want things to work with him?"

𝒖𝒉𝒉𝒉, 𝒚𝒆𝒔.

"That's really your call Lottie. If it were me, then no. But it's your couple so it's your decision."

"Thanks for the talk Veronica. See ya later?"

"Of course. Not like there's many places i can go." They both laughed 

\-----------------------

"Hey Rocco, you're just the guy I wanted to talk to."

"Morning Bobby! What do I owe this honor?"

Bobby gritted his teeth. He really didn't like this guy.

"Well, I hear you've been exploring your options."

Rocco looked Bobby in the eyes. His demeanor seemed to change slightly.

"Well that is the name of the game." 

Bobby crossed his arms, "Sure, but putting your hands on a girl who hasn't showed any interest in you is not ok. You really upset her."

"I, I thought she was into it...."

Bobby raised an eyebrow at that answer, "What made you think that? Her telling you off or her running away?"

Rocco looked around as if trying to find an escape route, wasn't that ironic.

"Look, I'd had a little too much to drink. It won't happen again."

"It better not. She's clearly not interested so just leave her be. Got it.?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"Thanks for the chat." Rocco took that as his cue to leave. "Oh and Rocco?" He turned around one more time. "Next time stick to wheatgrass smoothies, yeah?"

\-------------------

It was only 2pm and Veronica was exhausted. Who knew talking could do that? She had chatted with Lottie this morning, then Priya about who she fancied, then all the girls about having a game plan for Priya. She also found out that apparently Ibrahim liked her which she wasn't surprised about considering he seemed like the type who attached themselves to anyone that showed them attention. Then they played a challenge where they had to guess the lie out of three things about other Islanders. At this rate she needed a vacation from this vacation.

"One cupcake with sprinkles. I hear it's your favorite." Bobby put a huge cupcake in front of her.

"Oh wow! It looks too good to eat! It's like it was made by a professional." She smiled at him. As he raised an eyebrow.

"Har Har. I might have made a few cupcakes before this one."

"Only a few? With sprinkles and everything?"

He leaned against the the kitchen counter. "And some cookies too."

She loved their banter. Their conversations were always so easy. She was beginning to think that he'd be perfect for Misty. They were so much alike.

"How did things go this morning with Lottie?"

"Pretty good. She apologized. But I think she still likes him. She asked for my advice on sticking with him."

Bobby looked surprised, "What did you say?"

"I said that was her decision but I wouldn't if it were me."

"That's a fair answer. But odds are he's hitting on the others as well."

"Definitely. Anyway, can we not talk about him? It's ruining this lovely cupcake."

"Sure," he shrugged, "how about we talk about the big bad thing you're avoiding. The sooner it's out the sooner we can let it go and move on."

"It's only Day 2."

"Look, I'm a huge believer in talking about things and not bottling them up. Plus, I'm one of those good annoying friends....so, yeah..." He started to wipe down the countertops, "would it be easier if I act like a bartender? People tell bartenders everything."

"You're a character! But you know, it does feel less stressful when you're doing that for some reason."

"Ah, bartender logic. Works every time." He winked

"I don't even know where to start."

"Start with what's easiest."

She trusted Bobby. More than most. She actually wanted him to know. She took a deep breath. "I wasn't always like this.....guarded, emotional....I used to be fun and carefree. I met Travis in High School and he was my everything. We were the classic High School sweethearts. The cheerleader and the football star. Perfection." She looked up to see if he was still listening. He was. "Everything was planned out. We would go to the same college. I would major in journalism and he would go on to play professional football. Only, that's not how things happened." She sighed. "He got injured. Head injury. Football is really tough on your body. They told him he'd never play again, at least professionally. That pisssed him off. But really, after the head injury he got mad alot. About anything and everything." She paused and closed her eyes, "The first time he hit me it was because I forgot to wash his favorite shirt. I don't remember all the other times, the reasons I mean, but that first one still haunts me. And you know what's really fucked up?'

Bobby swallowed, "what?"

"Leaving him never crossed my mind. I felt like he needed me. Everytime he hit me or chocked me or called me names I always thought, 'it's ok, he doesn't really mean it, he's just upset'." She started to tear up.

"You can stop. It's ok, I don't want you to talk about it if it's that painful. " Bobby put his hand over hers.

"No, you're right. I want it out in the open." She wiped her eyes with her hands. "I ended up changing my major to Health and Fitness because I wanted to help him. I focused on sport injuries. That seemed to upset him even more. Finally, one day I came home and I heard laughing in our bedroom. I figured he had passed out from drinking all day and left the TV on." She took a deep breath, "When I opened the door and saw him with my cousin. I snapped. All the beatings. All the horrible things he had done to me and that's what threw me over the edge. I blanked out and when I came to we were both in the emergency room and he was screaming about how much of a crazy bitch I was. Apparently I had attacked him. We both looked like we had been through hell. He had a gash on his head and a broken wrist. I had 3 broken ribs and my left eye was swollen shut. My cousin was there and the bitch defended him. Said I was nuts and he was just defending himself. No charges were brought against me though because he knew I could have buried him with everything he did to me."

"Jesus Veronica, I really didn't think it was that bad. I am so sorry you went through that." He clinched his fists, "He's pathetic. I'm sorry I made you relive it."

"No," she held up her hand, "Do not apologize for caring." She squeezed his hand, "I'm not done." She laughed a sad laugh. "After the....incident, Misty came back from college and stayed with me. She's the best friend I've ever had. Then about 3 months after everything had happened I was sitting at home watching TV and someone knocked on my door. It was Travis and he was piss drunk. He was crying and saying he missed me and how he was lost without me. I told him to leave because we were over. He managed to push through the door and he beat me within an inch of my life. Thank God that Misty got off early that night or I might not even be here. My Physical Therapy took 4 months and I'm still in other types of therapy." She whispered, "I am so broken Bobby."

Bobby quickly came around the counter and took her into his arms. He couldn't believe someone would treat another human like that. He felt guilty he kept pushing her about telling her story but he felt honored that she trust him that much.

"You are far from broken beautiful girl. You're actually the opposite. You're the strongest person I know."

She laughed through tears, "Wow, that's a heck of a compliment. Your turn." She looked up at him.

He opened his mouth to speak but Hope beat him to it.

"Guys! I got a text!"

He sighed. "Of course....let's go, I'll tell you tonight ok?"

"Ok."

\------------------------

Veronica was livid. The text was alerting them that it was time for Priya to pick one of the boys. Priya seemed like a nice girl that was just thrown into an impossible situation but it still stung. When she said Bobby's name it felt like the wind had been knocked out of Veronica's lungs. Love Island without Bobby by her side? It seemed so boring. He did not look thrilled either but Priya was gorgeous and he deserved to be with someone who could make him happy. She was still mad though.

"What a plot twist!" Said Hannah in a dramatic voice, "I was sure she was going to pick Gary."

"She had to pick someone." Commented Marisol 

"Right? It just sucks it happened to someone as sweet as Veronica." 

"Oh yeah Hope, everything is peaches and cream as long as no one touches Noah!" Screamed Lottie 

"Girls!" Yelled Veronica, she needed to stop this before it got out of hand. "It's fine. She was in a shitty position. I don't think she did it to be mean. There will be other recouplings."

"But you two were like a dream team! So romantic!" Hannah threw herself onto the vanity.

"Ok, Hannah, you need to chill girl. Bobby and I are just friends. Good friends but that's it. It's like I've known him my whole life. He deserves to have a shot at love."

All the girls looked at her like she was crazy.

"You can't be serious. You do see the way he looks at you right?"

"Yeah and the way you look back."

"You two are total Soul Twins."

"You girls are crazy. We kissed once and nothing was there. Trust me."

"It was a Dare. Of course there was nothing there. Plus, you guys are closer now. Friends make the best lovers."

"Can we please stop talking about this?"

Just then Veronica got a page to do an interview in the beach hut.

𝑶𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆! 

When she got there it was just a big comfy chair and a screen. She took a seat and waited. The first question popped up.

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚?

"Well obviously not great. I really don't want to go home yet. I feel like I'm ready to enjoy more time here."

𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙮𝙖?

"I'm mad that she was put in that situation but am I mad she chose Bobby? No. Who could blame her? He's amazing."

𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚?

"Oh....uhhh, I honestly haven't thought about it. Maybe Ibrahim?"

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨! 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩!

\-----------------------

Bobby found her sitting on the Daybeds while everyone mingled. She was single now and Hope had told her she better get grafting, not Noah of course, but someone else. She didn't know who though. She had said in the beach hut that she might go for Ibrahim. He technically was her only option. She had shut Gary down, Rocco was a hard no, Noah was off limits and she had to prepare for Bobby liking Priya.

"We have to stop meeting like this." Bobby said as he laid down beside her. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Only a penny?? I'm offended sir."

Bobby laughed, "ok, how about a batch of blueberry muffins?"

"Damn, you know how to make a girl happy."

"Yummy treats are like a girl's kryptonite. It's all part of my evil plan of becoming the most friendzoned guy on the planet."

"You shouldn't do that ya know?"

"Do what?"

"Friendzone yourself. You're amazing Bobby and any girl would be lucky to be with you. Which by the way, you know my annoying friend Misty?" He nodded, "well I've been thinking and you guys would really hit it off! You'd love her!"

"You don't think I'll meet a nice girl in here? Now I'm offended!"

"No, that's not what I meant. You told me you weren't looking for anything in here so I just thought..."

Bobby laughed, "calm down Ronnie, I'm only joking. I'd love to meet her one day."

Veronica grinned, "yay!! I'm so happy!" She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

"You're absolutely welcome. Now, on to more serious chat." He rubbed his hands together, "You ready?"

"You don't have to share if you don't want to."

"But I do want to. You opened up to me and it's only fair I did the same." He sighed, "So, similar to your story, Cara and I were together since school. She was this amazingly popular girl and I was the weird kid that baked bread with his grandmother and her friends on the weekends. We were not a perfect match but it just worked. She was beautiful and she was mine. Obviously she got grief from her group of friends because I wasn't in with the 'cool kids'. That was tough on her so I deserted my friends and started hanging out with hers. I actually fit in because I was a funny guy and things were good." He stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "We both went to colleges that were far away from our families. I went to a pastry school and she went to a huge university to be a lawyer." He stared off into space, lost in thought.

"You ok?" 

He snapped back to reality, "oh yeah, sorry, anyway, we would visit each other on the weekends. I would usually drive up there because she was really busy writing papers and stuff like that. So one day, I got out of class early for the weekend and I decided to surprise her. I made a huge batch of double fudge brownies, her favorite, and headed over." Bobby stopped talking. He took a couple deep breaths and then continued. "When I got to her dorm, her door was open. I was worried something bad had happened so I walked right in and called out for her. I heard her tell someone to shut up and be quiet and she walked out of her bedroom in a robe. Obviously I asked what was going on and she tried to play it off as nothing. I yanked her door open and there was Mark, naked in her bed. He had been the class president at our school. I remember I just stared at her and she laughed. Like, honestly laughed and said, 'Guess it's better you found out now.' She explained she had wanted to break up with me for a year but couldn't bring herself to because she valued my friendship."

At that Veronica gasped, bringing him out of the story. "Oh my God Bobby, I am so sorry!"

"I looked at her and said, 'friendship? We're engaged. I love you.' and again, she laughed. She told me that I didn't know what real love was and I would always just be the friend." He looked at Veronica, sat back down and continued, "I went home and a week later I took 10 sleeping pills and drank an entire fifth of whiskey. I'm not sure I wanted to actually die but I wanted to sleep and never wake up so I suppose they go hand in hand. My roommate at the time called an ambulance after finding me in the bathroom. They say if he was 5 minutes later I would have died." He put his head in his hands, "I was so broken I couldn't even be without her for a week. I've been in therapy since. It's helped a ton."

Veronica had tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe someone would do that to Bobby. She knelt in front of him and wrapped herself around him.

"In group therapy with other survivors we actually had an exercise where we would hug ourselves and say, 'I'm worthy of love' so I'm going to do it for you, ok?" He nodded into her shoulder, she could feel that he was crying, she whispered into his ear, "You are worthy of love Bobby Mckenzie."

\----------------

Lottie was watching Bobby and Veronica from a distance. She had no clue what was happening but it was definitely intense. They both seemed to be crying but they both insisted they were just friends. It was only Day 2 for crying outloud. So what had them so upset. Did they know each other outside of here? No, probably not. It was going to drive her crazy. She made a mental note to talk to Veronica as soon as she could.

‐-----------------

"Holy shit....." 

That was the only thing Misty could say about what she just watched. She was happy and sad and also a little bit irritated that Veronica would try to pair Bobby with her. He's obviously supposed to be with you Veronica. How do you not see it?? She pulled up Twitter.

𝙸'𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚌𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 😭 #𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚎 #𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜2𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜

𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙱𝚘𝚋𝚋𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝙶𝙾𝙰𝙻𝚂!!! #𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚖𝚎 #𝚠𝚑𝚢𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚝

𝙱𝙾𝙱𝙱𝚈!! 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚔𝚊 𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊 #𝙵𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚘𝚏𝚏𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚊 #𝚢𝚘𝚞2𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚜

Twitter was blowing up just like it did after the first episode that had aired, after Veronica's first interview. The viewers loved them both. Veronica would be so shocked when she found out. The best part? Travis had deleted his social media because everyone came at him and at that time they didn't even know all the details. Misty didn't give a damn if he "couldn't help his outbursts" he was a fucking prick and he was getting what he deserved. Not serving any prison time for almost killing Veronica because he was "suffering in the head." 

Misty went to bed so excited for her friend and silently praying she'd get a clue soon and realize how perfect they were for each other. They ended the episode with Lottie watching in the distance. Hopefully she'll do something to help her friend.

\----------------------

Veronica woke up to a horrible headache. The night before had been so intense. Learning that Bobby had tried to kill himself really hurt her heart. He was the most beautiful soul she had met and he deserved to find happiness. That was her goal now. Operation Save Bobby's Heart. Not the best title but it was something. She looked over to see him sleeping. He looked so peaceful and he needed rest after opening up like that. She got out of bed as quietly as she could and headed downstairs. She was on a mission for coffee but instead she found chaos.

"Morning you two!" Veronica waved to Marisol and Hannah who were frantically making breakfast. "Something smells good!"

"Oh hey Veronica! I'm making Avocado Toast for Gary." Hannah blushed 

Marisol turned around instantly looking irritated. "What? But I'm making him breakfast!"

𝑶𝒉 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒈𝒐

"What? Why? You're with Ibrahim!"

"Well obviously things aren't going well and that leaves Gary!"

Veronica was super confused. "Wait. You guys are fighting over.....Gary? The Gary that is in this Villa with us? That Gary?"

Marisol huffed, "Yes Veronica, that Gary. We can't all be loved up instantly like you or Hope."

"Ok whoa...."

Marisol waved a hand in the air, "yeah yeah, we know, you and Bobby are just 'friends'"

"Marisol, please give the breakfast to someone else. I don't like anyone else here."

"I don't think Gary is the Avocado Toast type. What do you think Veronica?"

Veronica pinched her nose. "I think you should let Hannah give him breakfast. They are in a couple together."

Marisol looked like she wanted to say something else but Veronica walked off to speak to Hope.

"Hey girl! I'm worried about you!" Hope got up from the beanbags and gave her a hug. "Sit down."

"Why are you worried?"

"I don't want you to go home yet! We got to get you grafting! Don't worry though, I have the inside scoop." She gave Veronica a wink 

"......ok? And?"

"Well, do you want Bobby back?"

"I mean, I really care for him. We're great friends but I don't want to mess up something he might have with Priya."

"Ok that's fair....kind of silly...... but fair."

"....uh ok?"

"So, according to Noah, Ibrahim really likes you." She was smiling really big.

"Oh....wow...awesome. That's....that's really awesome."

"Right?! You should go chat with him!"

"Right, I totally will. Thanks Hope." 

Hope got up and ran off to most likely plan her and Noah's wedding. Just then, Veronica got a text.

"Guys! I got a text!"

Everyone rushed around her as she read it outloud 

𝚃𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙱𝚘𝚢𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎. 𝙶𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜! #𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚐𝚘 #𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎

She made eye contact with Bobby and he mouthed the word "roof" to her. She nodded and walked off in that direction.

On her way to the roof terrace she ran into Priya. She looked upset.

"Are you alright babe?"

Priya quickly wiped her eyes and put a smile on, "Oh yeah, I'm great."

"Right. Priya, let's talk."

"I think I'm going home!!" Priya burst into tears.

"What? Why?"

"Bobby doesn't like me that way and I don't think anyone does either."

"You are definitely not going home. You're gorgeous and a sweetheart!" Veronica gave her a hug

She sniffled, "you think so?"

"For sure! Have you talked to Ibrahim? I think he fancies you." Priya's face lit up when she heard that.

"Really? Ibrahim?"

"Yeah, I mean I know he and Marisol are not working out, so why not give it a go?"

"Thank you! I'm going to talk to him right now!" She gave Veronica a hug and zoomed off towards the gym.

She smiled to herself. Priya wasn't as bad as Lottie wanted to believe. She actually thought they could all be close friends.

"You like to keep a guy waiting huh?"

She turned around and saw Bobby leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom.

"Sorry, I was on my way and Priya really needed somebody."

He smiled, "yeah, I overheard you two talking. Nicely done."

"Thanks. I hope it was ok? She said you didn't like her like that."

He shrugged, "She's not wrong. She's not really my type. Can't force these things."

"Are you ok? You don't seem yourself."

He walked over and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you. For last night. I didn't get a chance to say that."

"You're welcome, I'm actually glad we got all that out of the way."

Bobby plopped down on the bed. "Same. I thought you might not want to talk to me anymore."

"Why would you think that?!"

"Just used to people hearing the story and thinking I'm some kind of weirdo"

"I would never think that Bobby! Your feelings are valid."

He grinned and looked at her for a minute. "Ok, so.....enough of that. It's out. It's done. What about this recoupling?"

"I have no idea what I'm doing. I was thinking of packing just in case."

"Packing? Why? Are we leaving?"

She laughed, "I might be. I know you said you don't fancy Priya but i mean, she's gorgeous Bobby. It's ok if you like her. I want you to be happy." 

"Ronnie. Spoiler alert. I'm picking you. End of."

"Are you sure?"

He laughed, "yes. I'm 100% sure." He paused, "I do feel bad for Hannah though."

"Hannah? Why?"

"She's obviously going home. She's driving Gary crazy."

Veronica was mad. "Is he going to tell her?!"

"I'm not sure. I told him he should but it's Gary. He's not much of 'romantic gesture' kind of guy."

"Ugh! I hate that! She'll be blindsided!" She crossed her arms

"You're cute when you're mad." He chuckled 

"Geez what a romantic over here! No one is swooning now." She giggled, "let's go get ready for the recoupling."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are so appreciated ❤✌ Thanks for reading. See ya soon!


	5. A kiss and a Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Guys are entering the Villa, but just remember, they've also been watching every episode.
> 
> Will one of them help our girl out??

"And that's why the girl I want to couple up with is.....Veronica." 

Veronica broke into a smile. She walked over a hugged Bobby giving him a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you." He squeezed her and they went and sat down.

This recoupling wasn't really too shocking. Noah chose Hope, Ibrahim chose Priya, Rocco chose Lottie, obviously Bobby just chose Veronica and now it was down to Gary. His choices were Marisol or Hannah.

Although Veronica was super happy to not be going home and getting back in her "friendship" couple with Bobby she was disgusted with Gary. He knew he wasn't choosing Hannah and yet he never told her. Lottie was about to go off and drama would intensify. Bobby squeezed Veronica's hand.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, just annoyed at him."

"I know you are but it's his decision. Even if it makes him look bad."

As soon as Bobby finished his sentence Gary chose Marisol. The group clapped.

"Uhhh excuse me? What about Hannah?" Lottie was pissed.

"Lottie....."

"No Hope! Shut it! This is so unfair!"

Noah stepped in, "Look, everyone needs to calm down." He turned to Hannh, "Come on, Hope and I will help you pack."

"Thank you." Hannah said looking down at the ground.

"Poor Hannah."

"What does that mean Veronica? You got something to say?!"

Veronica raised an eyebrow, "To you? Absolutely not."

Gary glared at her.

Bobby jumped up, "Hey, everyone is just upset because she's the first to go. Let's go say goodbye and calm down. This is going to be a thing that happens from now on." He looked at Veronica who looked sad, "But, we need to be honest about how we feel about people we are coupled with especially if they will not be safe." He shot a pointed look at Gary who looked like he actually felt bad about his decision, a little bit at least.

"Yeah, Bobby's right." Said Priya, "let's go."

They said their goodbyes to Hannah and walked back inside. Veronica was going to miss Hannah. Yes, she was a dreamer but she knew who she was and she owned it. Lottie was sitting on her bed when Veronica walked in. 

"You want to talk?"

"I'm going to miss her so much. She was beautiful."

"She was definitely one in a million."

"Hey, I wanted to talk to you. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Yeah sure. No problem."

Lottie smiled and pulled the covers up over her head. Bobby patted the bed.

"Ready to cuddle?"

Veronica gave him a weak smile and snuggled up under the covers.

"I feel bad."

"Because of Hannah?"

"No, well kind of, I might be harder on Gary than I should be."

"Interesting, and why is that? You fancy him?" Bobby wiggled his eyebrows 

Veronica giggled and slapped his arm, "God No! Stop! He actually looks like a blonde version of Travis."

"Seriously? That's crazy."

"Yeah, it's tough to talk to him without hating him and I know that's not fair."

Bobby pulled her into his arms, "No one said you have to talk to him. You got me for that." 

"Good night, Bobby."

"Night Ronnie."

\-------------------‐

They woke up to Brunch which had Bobby super excited. It was basically a date but it didn't feel weird. It was actually fun. Veronica learned that Bobby like spaghetti hoops on toast, his perfect date was at an arcade and he wanted to make a baked good named after him. And she told him her favorite breakfast food, french toast. All in all it was a nice Morning. 

Veronica was sun bathing when she noticed the sun disappeared, she opened one eye to see why. It was Gary.

"Can we talk?" He had his hands on his hips.

"No we can't" she leaned back and closed her eyes again

"Please Veronica? I really want to explain myself for last night."

"I don't really care. What's done is done."

"Look, I know I'm like your least favorite person here and I don't know why but I'd like us to at least get along."

Veronica weighed his words. It would be easier to clear the air. Who knew how long they'd be in here together.

She sat up, "Fine. You're right. Have a seat."

"Thank you." He sat down, "I promise I'm not an asshole. I should have been honest to Hannah. That was a huge mistake on my part. I wish I could apologize to her but obviously I can't. I mean, I did in the interview room but over the TV is different. I wanted to like Hannah, I never seem to go for sweet girls like that. I feel awful."

Veronica was speechless. He was actually nice..."You know what? I really appreciate that. Thank you. You obviously can't help it if you don't like someone. I'm sorry that I've been cold to you. You remind me of someone from my past that really hurt me. And I put those memories on you. And that was wrong."

"Oh, so like, an ex?"

"Yeah, an ex. That cheated."

"I can respect that. Just so you know though, anyone who would cheat on you is out of their mind." He smiled at her

"Thank you" she gave him a side hug, "This actually felt good to get that out."

"Yeah same for me, I'm going to go lift some more weights. Have a good one."

" You too." She laid back down with a satisfied smile on her face.

\-------------------

"Guys! I got a text!"

Veronica headed over to the group. It was an actual physical challenge. Finally some fun. She was excited. 

"The winner will receive Ice Lollies."

Veronica high fived Bobby, "I am so winning this!"

"Oh yeah! Let's go!"

The challenge must have been taken from Bobby's imagination. It was a slime challenge. Veronica was hyped. She needed some pure basic fun. The idea was the boys had slime on them and the girls had to basically grind on them to create their own personal color. The Girl with the most slime of that color in their bucket wins.

The game started out fun. Everyone was laughing and Veronica even made Bobby blush which was super cute. Then she had to grind on Gary. Thank goodness they cleared the air so it wasn't horrible. But then, Lottie started to accuse Priya of trying to get off on all the boys and the game ended. Hope won and agreed to share the ice lollies with everyone.

"Ugh, that Priya! She's so obviously trying to get with every guy in here." 

"Lottie. Please don't say anything. Let's just have a nice day. I'm asking as a friend."

"Ugh, fine! Sometimes you're super annoying Hope." She stuck her tongue out and all the girls began to laugh.

"Hey Lottie, wanna have that talk from before?" Asked Veronica 

"Sure, let's go to the roof."

"Be nice girls!" Hope called 

When they got upstairs there was an odd feeling in the air.

"So what's up?"

Lottie smiled but narrowed her eyes, "What is going on between you and Bobby? Do you know each other outside of here? Are you just here for the money?"

Veronica was shocked, "wait.....what? Know each other? I never met him until I came here. And I'm here for love."

"Why didn't you answer the first question?"

"The first one? You asked like three questions at once."

"Ok, what's going on between you and Bobby?"

"We're just friends."

"Veronica. Do you think I'm dumb? I thought we were friends?"

"Of course we're friends but no, I don't think you're dumb."

"I saw you two. On the Daybeds. That's not how 'just friends' interact. I'm not sure why you guys just won't go for it. He hides it well but it's pretty clear you two have feelings for each other."

Veronica stared directly into Lottie's eyes. 

She cleared her throat, "He doesn't want, I mean, we can't........it's difficult ok? We share some similarities in our past so we've bonded over that." She could feel the tears welling up. She looked down at her feet. "Please don't tell him. Please?"

"But why? I don't understand."

She sighed and looked up clinching her fists by her side, "He deserves so much more than what I have to offer. I have issues and I know everyone does but mine will always haunt me. I am fucked up Lottie."

Lottie was speechless at her confession. She did not expect that, "But isn't that partly up to him? It's not fair to do that to someone. It's 50% your choice and 50% of it is his. Just give it another try and see what happens. He might just surprise you." 

And with that, Lottie left Veronica on the roof to contemplate some things.

\---------------------

Veronica had been avoiding Bobby along with everyone else all evening. She had alot on her mind after her talk with Lottie but she had no clue what to do about any of it. How was Lottie so damn observant. She thought she held her feelings in well but apparently not. 

"Girls, stop fighting!"

Veronica was pulled from her thoughts by Hope's voice.

"What's going on?"

"Priya! Acting all snakey!"

"Lottie, we really don't need this tonight..."

She glared at Veronica, "oh really? Maybe we should discuss other matters? Matters that may or may not involve you?"

Veronica was instantly mad. How dare she bring that up.

"Back off Lottie! You promised! Does Girl Code even matter to you?!"

"Veronica! Why are you mad now? What is happening?!" Hope had been trying hard to diffuse this situation and every situation so far but she needed to butt out.

Veronica didn't break eye contact with Lottie.

"Mind your business Hope! This is between Me and Lottie!"

"Actually, Babe, this was between me and Priya but then you always have to add your two cents, don't you?!"

"Fuck. You!"

"GIRLS!!"

Lottie didn't even flinch. "Back to the snake." She turned to Priya. "I hope you go home next."

"Lottie, grow up!"

"Grow up?! I'm 24!"

"Well act like it!"

They both stormed off at the same time.

"This is a cluster! So much for a nice night. Let's go find them."

𝑼𝒈𝒉, 𝒘𝒉𝒚?!

Somehow they both ended up in the kitchen. Still screaming and acting like children. Veronica didn't even care if Lottie was right. She was siding with Priya. Period.

Bobby and Gary were cornered by the screaming girls and they looked a bit terrified.

"What is wrong here?" Asked Bobby

"Lottie's being catty as usual!" Screamed Priya

Lottie slapped a huge sandwich off the counter. Gary pouted.

"Me? Catty?! Please! You're the worst! First you stole Bobby from Veronica!"

"You're still mad about that? You and Veronica just got into it upstairs! Why do you even care?"

"I love Veronica in my own way, don't worry about it!"

Veronica's eyes widened, 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈?

"Stop! Please?! This is dumb. What are you guys even fighting about?"

"I'll tell you, Veronica. We're fighting because she's not here for love! This might be my only chance to find it!"

And now, it all made sense. Why Lottie was mad and confused about why Veronica hid her feelings. Lottie was actually a teddy bear with an extremely hard shell. But apparently Priya and Veronica were chipping away at it. She felt bad for her. 

"Listen Lottie, I think you're putting your problems on others, like Priya. Her coming in late was out of her control. She has been completely honest with all of us from the beginning. And why shouldn't she explore other options? No one in here is in a solid relationship yet except for Hope. We really need to put our differences aside and be open with how we feel." Lottie raised an eyebrow at her, "All of us."

Lottie crossed her arms but her expression softened. She seemed to be contemplating what to do next. Finally she spoke.

"Look, Veronica is making alot of sense. I'm scared I won't find someone in here and I really want to. Love is not something that comes easily for me, I put a wall up and I know that. I'm not drop dead gorgeous like most of you girls. So. On that note, I'm sorry I got mad over nothing. "

Priya smiled.

"I understand Lottie, I'm sorry too. I should have spoke to you girls first when I came in. I immediately assumed you all would hate me no matter what so I just thought, jump right in! But then you all turned out to be so lovely, even you, and you're crazy, you are crazy beautiful!" She smiled

They hugged 

"Is it over?" Asked Gary 

"For now." Said Hope

"That's my girl! Smoothing things over. Nicely done Ronnie." He smiled at her, "Oh and ladies, I made cookies! Eat up."

"Chocolate chip?!" Asked Lottie, she seemed really excited 

"Of course Chocolate chip! I am a professional baker Lottie, don't insult me."

All the girls laughed and grabbed a few cookies. Veronica silently walked off towards the bedroom. She needed some silence. Something that was almost impossible to find in this Villa. She sat down on the nearest bed and leaned back on her hands. She kicked her heels off. Finally some alone time.

"Hey."

She looked up to see Bobby looking at her like she was about to explode.

"Hey you," she smiled at him, "Things calming down?"

"Oh yeah, my cookies helped. But the only thing I'm curious about is why you've been avoiding me. Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh no, of course not. I'm sorry, it's been a weird day. I just wanted time to think."

"Right, that's cool. Been there." He sat next to her and bumped her shoulder, "Need to talk about it? I saved you a cookie." He pulled a cookie out of his pocket. "it's still soft too." He smiled at her.

"Oh yes! Cookies can fix alot of things. Especially soft, warm ones." She took a bite. "Bobby! You are seriously a genius in the kitchen. This is so good." She covered her mouth when she talked since it was full of cookie.

He laughed, "I'm glad you like it! I made them with love."

She tensed up when he said that. Curse Lottie. Now things felt weird. 

"You ok? You seem really tense. I can rub your shoulders if you'd like. It can't be much different than kneading dough." 

"Oh you don't have to. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Let me just try."

She hesitated, Well, ok then."

He got behind her on the bed and started to massage her shoulders. It felt fantastic. Just what she needed after tonight.

"That feels great, thank you."

"My pleasure. Anytime." She could feel his breath on her neck and a shiver went down her spine. This was it. She could try one more time and move on. She turned around to face him. 

"What's going-"

Before he could finish his sentence she grabbed his shirt collar and kissed him. It was like lightning shooting through her body. He immediately kissed her back and grabbed her waist. The kiss was fast and burned with desire from both of them. She was lost in the moment until he pulled away still holding her waist. They were out of breath and she was about to say something when Marisol walked in.

"What's going on here?"

Bobby immediately dropped his hands from her waist and she instantly missed his touch.

"Uh, I had something in my eye....uhhh yep I think it's better now. Thanks Bobby!" And she ran off.

Marisol and Bobby looked at each other. 

"Well that was awkward. Was it an eyelash?"

"Yeah, an eyelash. It was bugging her all day."

"Huh, well great job then."

Marisol turned to go back downstairs. 

"Hey Marisol?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell the others?"

"Bobby, it was just an eyelash." She winked at him and walked away

\----------------------

Veronica sat in the beach hut just staring at the screen. 

"Damn it!" She put her head in her hands. "Why did I do that?!"

"It was a mistake. A really intense, passionate mistake," she smiled touching her lips, "but still a mistake."

"He kissed me back though.....right?"

"No.....of course he didn't."

"What do I do now?"

\------------------------

Bobby stood on the roof pacing.

"Shit! What was that?! Why did I kiss her back?"

"God she tasted like one of my damn chocolate chip cookies. Fucking hell."

"No, you hated it. I mean hates a strong word....you felt nothing. Like before."

"I'm not what she needs."

\------------------------

Veronica was getting ready for bed and freaking out. This was going to be super awkward. She'd rather a hole opened beneath her and swallow her up than go in there. But she'd stalled long enough.

Bobby was already in bed. She crawled in under the covers. They both stared at the ceiling.

Veronica spoke first, "So......is this going to be weird?"

"Is what going to be weird?"

"The fact that I kissed you."

"Oh that?! No! Of course not. I felt nothing," he glanced at her, "you?"

"No, nothing at all. Like emptiness."

"Yes! That's how I'd describe it. Total emptiness."

"Great."

"Grand."

"Good night?"

"Yeah, good night."

\--------------------

Veronica was up super early. She couldn't sleep. She was dying inside. She had feelings for Bobby but he didn't feel the same. She wasn't mad at him. It wasn't his fault. She gave it a shot and got an answer. It didn't matter if it wasn't the one she wanted. She needed to find someone else in here because it was obvious she was only holding him back.

As if her wish was granted she heard laughing and splashing coming from the pool. She looked down. 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝑩𝒐𝒚𝒔?! 𝒀𝒆𝒔!! Just what she needed to get her mind off Bobby! She ran into the bedroom.

"New Guys!!" She yelled and woke everyone up.

"What are you yelling about?" Complained Rocco

"Uhhh, New guys???"

"Wait! New guys??" Lottie set up straight, "let's go!"

The girls bolted to the pool. When they arrived the new guys turned around to greet them. 

"Hey girls, I'm Henrik."

"I'm Lucas."

All the girls started talking at once asking tons of questions. Finally the other boys joined them.

"Let's all go sit down at the fire pit, shall we? 

"Sounds good Gary."

Gary asked the guys tons of questions. Even how many people they'd slept with. Which Lucas seemed annoyed with. Finally the big question, who they had their eye on.

"For me, I have to say Lottie. I love a girl with tattoos." Henrik winked at her and she giggled 

"What about you?"

Lucas seemed hesitant on what to say, "I've had my eye on Veronica since the beginning. She's absolutely stunning." He smiled 

Veronica smiled back. 

"We're a tight group. Bobby, Rocco, you ready for a bit of competition?"

"Always." Said Rocco 

"Of course." Respond Bobby, Veronica felt him pull her a little closer.

"Ok Lads, Villa Tour! Follow me!"

Veronica was not about to go on a Villa Tour so she stayed behind. She heard heels walk up next to her. It was Lottie.

"Can I join you?"

"Sure. Didn't want to join the Tour?"

Lottie laughed, "Definitely not." She cleared her throat, "I want to say I'm sorry I tried to upset you about Bobby. I just want what's best for you."

"Well thank you but it doesn't matter. I took your advice and kissed him last night."

"And??"

"And nothing." She shrugged, "He said he didn't feel anything."

"He's lying." She looked around the Villa before saying anything else, she lowered her voice, "Did you feel something?"

"Yes....but I told him I didn't."

"Veronica. Look at me. Why?"

"I can't lose him, Lottie. Even just as a friend."

"This is bullshit."

"It's fine. I'm going to try and get to know the new boys. Maybe there's something there."

"Really? I am seriously about to lose it.....you two are so damn stubborn."

"Listen to me, ok?" She looked over her shoulder to make sure the others were out of hearing range. "Spark Notes version? I used to be with this guy who cheated on me with my cousin all while he was using me as his own personal punching bag for years." Lottie looked horrified, "No more heartbreak. I just can't do it."

"Oh Babe, I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

"No one knows, except one person, other than you." She glanced at Bobby telling Priya a joke. "And I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible."

\-------------------

"Guys! I got a text!"

Lottie read it outloud 

𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝙻𝚞𝚌𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙷𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚒𝚔 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 3 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎. #𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎 #𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢𝚕𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚜

𝙷𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚒𝚔'𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎.....𝙻𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚎!

𝙻𝚞𝚌𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍....𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊!

"Woohoo! Let's go get ready!" Lottie grabbed Veronica's hand and ran towards the dressing room.

𝑶𝒌, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕

\------------------

The location of the date was beautiful. It was in a Vineyard. Wine, cheese, crackers. Lucas was waiting for Veronica at the top of a hill near a cute little table for two.

"Hey," he hugged her, "I'm so glad we are doing this. You look lovely."

"Awww thank you Lucas. You look very handsome."

"Thank you, please, have a seat." He poured them both glasses of wine. "What should we Toast to?"

"How about this lovely date?"

"First of many?" He had a playful smile on his lips.

"You never know right?" she smiled as their glasses clinked and she took a big gulp.

"So, are you glad I asked you on this date?"

"Of course! You definitely caught my eye right away." She winked

Lucas laughed, "Really? That's good to know, So, let's get to the real reason I asked you on this date."

"Ok sure."

"How are you and Bobby doing?"

Veronica choked on her wine.

"Are you ok?" He reached out to help her

"Yes, yes I'm fine....you asked me on this date to ask about me and Bobby?"

"Is that weird?"

"Uh a little bit, But Bobby and I are just friends."

Lucas leaned back in the chair and smirked. "Really? Just friends huh?"

"Yep. Really good friends."

"You know I've seen every episode so far right? Except for last night's of course."

The blood drained from her face, "Oh yeah?"

"Yep." He looked at Veronica with a curious look, "So my next two questions are, Why haven't you told him how you feel? And has he told you how he feels yet?"

"I'm don't, I mean, we're just...."

"Oh that's right, you're just friends, yeah, yeah, I know what you've been telling yourself. Over and over again. But it's clear like him. What are you afraid of?"

Ok, Veronica was starting to get pissed off. 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒖𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏?

She scowled at him and crossed her arms. "Well, if you've been watching I'm sure you know about-"

"Travis? And Cara? Yeah, I know about them. Everyone does. They're scum. But they don't matter. Do they?"

"Bobby deserves someone amazing. Somebody who can give him the life he deserves. Someone who isn't broken....."

Lucas held up his hand and cut her off.  
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍??

"Ok, stop. I'm going to be a bit harsh but you need to hear this." He leans forward, "Something horrible happened to both of you and it should have never happened, ok? But it did. You both made it through for a reason and if you don't think that reason was to find each other then you're either lying to yourselves or self sabotaging. Both of which are ridiculous." He reached for his wine glass and took a sip. Never breaking eye contact with her.

"But he said he didn't feel anything. Last night, I, I kissed him and he said nothing was there."

Lucas sighed, "Sweetheart, he's lying. I've seen his beach hut interviews." He glances at the camera, "I can't give alot away when it comes to that but trust me when I tell you. He feels something. And it scares the shit out of him."

𝑯𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈?

"What's your gameplan for doing this?" She was extremely suspicious of Lucas. You don't come to Love Island to tell a random girl that another guy likes her. And if he did, it was a horrible strategy.

Lucas looked confused, "My gameplan? What do you mean?"

"I just mean, why would you waste a date on me to tell me about another guy?"

He took a minute to think about how to answer her question, "Well, first things first. Spending time with you is never a waste. You need to know that. Second, I have to admit I'm definitely Team Bonnie so when I found out I was coming here I decided to speak for the entire fan base. Someone had to. I mean you two are just making a huge mess of everything." He chuckled.

"I'm sorry....Team what?!"

He smirked at her, "Team Bonnie. It's your relationship name. It's all over Twitter. I'm pretty sure Misty started it. He calls you Ronnie, His name is Bobby. Put them together and you get, Bonnie."

𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒚!

Her biggest cheerleader was also her biggest pain in the ass. Veronica's mind was in a tailspin. "So, what happens now?"

"Well, the wines gone. And the cheese," He ate the last piece, "So I say, let's go get your guy. Know anyone that would help?"

She blinked at him. "I need time to process all this."

"That's fair. But process fast princess, I'm sure the next recoupling is soon."

‐---------------------

Veronica was beginning to wish she'd never got on that stupid plane. Damn Misty and her crazy ideas. Everything was so confusing now. She was supposed to be having fun with everyone but instead she was hiding in the shower. Fully dressed in the shower. There was a party going on outside for the new guys and she could hear everyone chatting and laughing from her damp seat. In the shower. 

𝑶𝒌 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂, 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒐 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆

She got up and went to fix her makeup and hair because, you know, she had been in the.....well you get it.

She was giving herself one last look when Lottie walked in.

"Here you are! Where have you been?

"Between you and Bobby I swear I can't get any alone time in here."

Lottie laughed, "Sorry, I just wanted to know how your date went."

Veronica groaned, "It was both educational and eye opening."

"Well that's a new way to describe a date. Was Lucas not as smooth as he seems?"

"He only asked me on a date to discuss me and Bobby."

Lottie looked confused, "What? Why?"

"Because apparently on social media we are known as Team Bonnie and Lucas is a member." She looked right into one of the cameras in the corner and waved, "Thanks Misty! Just wait till I get home."

Lottie looked up at the camera then back at her friend who had clearly lost her mind,"Who is Misty? But I gotta say, Team Bonnie? That's super cute!"

Veronica turned to face Lottie. "Can we please focus? That wasn't even the craziest thing he told me."

"Ok. I'm focused. What did he say?"

"Promise not to freak out. Ok?"

Lottie put her hand over her heart. "I swear!"

Veronica hesitated, she didn't believe her but Lottie was her closest friend in the Villa and she knew this bombshell would definitely make her happy. "Apparently, Bobby has feelings. For me."

Before she knew what was happening Lottie squealed like a fangirl. "Shhh! You promised!"

"I'm sorry! I'm just so happy for you!!! What now?"

"Well, Lucas wants to help me but I was curious if you might help too?"

"Yes! Absolutely! Anything you need. I am there."

She giggled at her friends excitment. "Thanks Lottie."

"Ok, let's go downstairs and celebrate! There is a party and everything!!" Lottie linked arms with Veronica and dragged her down to the kitchen where Ibrahim was making drinks.

"Hey! You girls want a drink? Priya and I made them inspired by my favorite superhero." 

"Sure Ibrahim, I'll try it." He handed her a glass and she took a sip, "Hey! This is pretty good!"

Ibrahim blushed, "Thanks, I thought so...."

"Rahim! I'll take a drink. Unless Veronica is willing to share hers?" Bobby put an arm around her waist

"Make him his own Ibrahim. It's too good to share." She took another sip. She felt dizzy having Bobby touch her. 

"Well can't argue with that. Hey, can we chat for a second?"

"Absolutely."

They walked over to the fire pit where it was easier to hear.

"So, Lucas huh? He seems great." Bobby smiled at her. She studied his face but he gave nothing away.

"Yeah, he's actually a really sweet guy. I can tell he puts others first. That's an important quality don't you think?"

"Yeah for sure. He definitely seems like the ultimate package. Good looks, good job, financially stable, not a lad. I'm happy for you."

"Financially stable? Bobby McKenzie are you saying I'm only here for money?"

His face fell, "What? No, of course not! I just mean he can give a girl nice things and he's definitely here for love."

She laughed, "Relax, I'm just messing with you. I knew what you meant."

"So, I guess you'll want to couple up with him right?" He looked down at the ground and kicked a tiny pebble 

"I haven't decided yet actually. I think there's a guy here that kind of likes me but hasn't told me yet."

"You mean Ibrahim? He does bring you up alot now that you mention it. He'd be good for you too. Geez Ronnie! So many choices how will you choose?" He acted like he had a microphone and was interviewing her.

She looked at him. Day 5 and she was inlove with a guy who wasn't going to even try to tell her his feelings. Wait. Did she just say she loved him? Damn. She did.

Bobby looked concerned, "Everything alright?"

"No, not really. You're never going to tell me are you?"

"Tell you what?"

She shook her head and let out a breath. "Just forget it. I'm going to bed."

\-------------------

Once again, Lottie was watching them from a distance. Only this time was different. Only Bobby was the clueless one. Veronica had asked for her help and she had agreed. She needed to talk to Lucas because Veronica and Bobby would make things harder than they needed to be. 

"They're crazy." Lucas sat down next to her. "Hope you don't mind me joining you."

"Not at all." She watched as Bobby kicked at the ground. "Veronica told me you want to help her. I think that's great."

"Let me guess, she asked you to join us?"

"Yeah, and I said absolutely." 

At the fire pit, Veronica was staring at Bobby and he looked concerned.

"You know, it's going to take more than a nudge. We're going to have to shove them into place."

Veronica stood up and stormed off

"Oh yeah. There's going to be a blow up for sure. You ready for that?"

Lottie laughed, "I thought you had been watching? Blow ups are my specialty babe." She winked 

\-------------------

This show was something else! Misty was so grateful that there were people who wanted to help Veronica. That Lucas though! He had to be an Angel sent from above. Who does that for someone they've never met? Lottie/Lucas Team Up was trending on Twitter within 30 minutes of the episode ending. No one knew what they had planned but everyone hoped it worked. 

Misty's phone rang, she looked at it. Unknown number. That was odd. She answered it just in case it was Veronica and she'd won some prize and could call someone.

"Hello?"

"What the hell is this shit?!"

"Travis. To what do I owe this disappointment?"

"Huh? Whatever. You expect me to watch this shit and not say anything? She's dragging me through the mud."

He was clearly drunk.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You drag yourself through the mud, you're a piece of shit and now everyone knows it."

"She'll never be happy without me. Not really. I'm her life."

"How did you even get my number? We are not friends. Go be with that slut you cheated with."

He laughed, "Veronica is about to reveal her cracks. You'll see."

Misty ended the call. Ugh, what a fucking asshole. Now she had to change her number, again. What did he mean reveal her cracks? Veronica literally bared her soul on that show. There was nothing else. People knew everything. She downed her wine. Travis better not try and start drama. Misty was not going to allow it.


	6. The 4 Steps aka Lottie/Lucas Team Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #Lucas/Lottie Team Up is officially starting.
> 
> Hold on, because Veronica gets pissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm loving these two teaming up. I really think they compliment each other. They both really care for their friends and they're kind of the ultimate version of opposite attract. But not in this chapter. They have work to do.

Veronica had slept on the Daybeds. She sat up yawning and stretching. She could hear the birds chirping. It was a nice sunny day. She had slept outside because now that she knew for sure how she really felt about Bobby she had to get away from him. But love? After only a handful of days? She couldn't tell anyone. Not even Lottie. It might be different if he felt the same way but with his past he was probably terrified of that word. Maybe Lucas misunderstood whatever Bobby had said during his interviews? Either way, things were getting too heavy. 

"Are we in a fight?" Bobby walked over with a plate of French Toast, "because this kind of feels like a fight."

"Why would we be in a fight?"

Bobby shrugged his shoulders, "You tell me. You didn't come to bed last night. It felt weird without you." He offered her the plate of breakfast.

"Sorry," she said taking the plate from him, "I haven't been feeling like myself lately. " She took a bite of the sugary toast.

"Well, I'm sorry if I upset you last night. You just seemed irritated, especially towards me." He watched her eating with an amused look on his face. "At least you still have your appetite."

She gave him a smile with full cheeks, "Always" she mumbled "This is really good, thanks."

"You're welcome, I'm glad you like it." He got up and walked back to the kitchen.

Lottie and Lucas exchanged a glance.

"You ready for this?"

"Yeah, but can I just say, the fact that you're basically wasting your time here to help them is actually really amazing. I mean, you 𝒂𝒓𝒆 doing this for them and only them, right?" Lottie gave him a side eye glance.

"Veronica is stunning but it's clear who she should end up with. I'd never jeopardize that. She deserves a happily ever after."

Lottie nodded, "I only got the "Spark Notes" version of her story but I know it's extremely painful. Who treats someone like that?"

"A monster." Lucas got angry every time he thought about what she had been through. "Bobby's story isn't any better."

Lottie pulled her eyes away from Veronica, "Wait? He has a story too?"

"Yeah and it's fucked up. We're doing the right thing here." He looked at the time, "Let's get this started." Lucas put his hands in his pockets and strolled over to Veronica. Lottie made her way over to Bobby.

\-------------------

"Hey Bobby! Smells amazing in here."

Bobby looked up from the stove. "Yeah, thanks. I'm just making some French Toast. Want some?"

"Oh yes please, isn't that Veronica's favorite?"

"Is it?" He tried to play it cool. "Yeah actually I think you're right. She's having a bad day so I thought I'd try to cheer her up."

Lottie was impressed. He was good at hiding his feelings. Too good. This might be harder than they thought.

"You're such a good friend Bobby. Veronica is lucky to have you in her corner. You know, when you guys first coupled up, I really thought she liked you more than just a friend."

Bobby looked up, "Oh really? Why did you think that?"

Lottie shrugged, "Oh I don't know, she lights up every time someone brings you up. But maybe it's nothing." She glanced at him, he seemed like he was having trouble keeping a smile off his face, "Anyway, looks like she's found prince charming huh?" She pointed to Veronica and Lucas on the Daybeds.

Bobby followed her gaze and saw Lucas putting a strand of hair behind Veronica's ear, he saw her blush and Lucas kissed her on the forehead. He felt like someone slapped him. Is that why she slept outside? It made sense. He heard her laugh at something Lucas said to her. 

"Hey Lottie?"

"Hmmm?"

"Will you excuse me?" and he marched off to the bathroom.

\-----------------

When Lucas came over and told her the plan she was a bit uncertain. It was basically making Bobby jealous and she didn't want to hurt him. Though she also knew that Bobby was a master at hiding his feelings so she agreed as long as it was only playful flirting. Nothing full on. 

After a few sweet gestures, a forehead kiss and some funny stories she noticed Bobby walking swiftly into the Villa. She hoped he was ok.

"Will you excuse me?" She asked Lucas and went to check on him. 

Lucas looked over at Lottie and put a thumbs up in the air. Step one, done.

\------------------

She found Bobby sitting on the sink counter. He looked like he had an upset stomach. She knocked on the door frame.

"Hey stranger. Feeling ok?"

Bobby stood up really quick. "Oh yeah, fine. Just got dizzy. Must be this heat. I mean it's only 10 am and it's a scorcher out there."

"Thanks again for the French Toast. It was great."

"Sure, no problem," he smiled at her, "So, you 𝒂𝒓𝒆 interested in Lucas huh? I saw you on the Daybeds together."

"I mean, like you said, he's a really great guy." Veronica was slowly walking towards him

"So I guess Ibrahim never made a move then?" Bobby was extremely aware of the fact that she was moving closer. 𝑫𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅, 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓

She stopped a few inches from him, "No one that I like has made a move if I'm honest." She bit her lip

Bobby swallowed, "But Lucas seemed like he was trying."

"I'm not set on him. There are others in here that are more my type. Don't you think I should explore all my options?"

Bobby just nodded.

She waited for......something. Anything. But all she got was a big fat nothing.

"Well, I guess I'll go talk to Lottie. See ya later?"

"You bet."

\------------------

"Lottie, I basically cornered him in the bathroom and still nothing. It was very out of character for our friendship so he had to know. The only other thing I could have done was wear a neon sign that said, just tell me how you feel."

Lottie just giggled. "Maybe you should have just kissed him."

"Why? So he could tell me he felt emptiness again? No thanks."

Just then Lucas walked in. 

"Hey girls, how's it going?"

"Lucas, maybe on the TV Bobby's feelings were made to seem like more than what they are? Anyone else would have kissed me today. He didn't."

"Veronica, trust me. The feelings are there. I've been thinking. I know you don't want to hurt him and I agree. Maybe there's something else we could do? Talking never hurts."

"Hmmmm, talking? I think that's the problem we're dealing with now. He won't talk."

"Wait, that's it! What if you just talked to him Lucas? He knows you've seen all the episodes, he might open up to you!" Veronica was grinning from ear to ear.

"Ok, I'll go find him now, what a great idea! Wish me luck."

Lucas went to find Bobby, it didn't take long, he was in the kitchen baking something that smelled amazing.

"Hey man! How you doing?"

Bobby was leaning against the counter just waiting for the timer to go off. He looked up.

"I'm good. Just waiting on these cupcakes to finish up. The girls keep demanding I make them." He laughed, "What about you?"

Lucas sat down in the stool across from Bobby. "I was hoping we could talk."

"Sure, I've got like 10 minutes before I need to take these out. Then they have to cool before I can put the icing on. What's on your mind?"

"Well, Veronica actually." He watched Bobby's body go stiff. "She's really something."

"Yeah, she's definitely special. You've caught her eye I think."

"Really? That's not what I got from our date."

Bobby didn't know what to say to that. So he stayed quiet.

"In fact, I'm pretty sure she only has feelings for one person in here and he feels the same. But he keeps acting like there's nothing there. Why would someone do that? Especially when one particular beach hut interview revealed the truth." He stopped to see Bobby's reaction, but he just stood there. "How did that interview go? Oh yeah, it was after the Truth or Dare game and they asked you about the kiss. You looked really uncomfortable and immediately said you felt nothing, then you said, 'I mean, she could ruin a guy with a kiss like that. But we're just friends so it meant nothing.'" Bobby was red in the face, " I mean, really Bobby? I like you but you're clearly insane if you don't want to try things with her."

Bobby looked defeated, "What was I supposed to say? 'Hey Veronica, I know I just got done telling you I wasn't looking for anything in here but that kiss cracked part of my frozen heart. Wanna give this a try?' I couldn't do that to her. Then I learned about her past and I knew she was off limits. I'll only let her down, that's what I do."

"Like you let Cara down?" Bobby was glaring at Lucas, "Man, she let you down. You weren't weak or unworthy. You were hurt. You put everything behind you for one person and in one tiny instant she destroyed your soul. That's her guilt she has to live with. Not yours."

Bobby was shaking from all the different emotions he was feeling. He wanted to hit Lucas in his pretty boy face but he also wanted to hug him because he was one of the few people who didn't think he was a nut job.

"I shouldn't be the one to tell you this and I know it's only Day 6 but time moves fast in here and I'm tired of all the time you've wasted already by not being together. She has feelings for you. Big time. Someone mentions your name and her face lights up. Scoop her up while you can because she won't wait forever." Lucas stood up. "Let me know when those cupcakes are ready, yeah?" And he walked off.

\---------------

"So, Step 2 is done, I think making her think it was her decision to have me talk to him was a really good choice."

"Yeah she seemed really happy when you went over there, but I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of Step 3."

"Honestly neither am I, but it's been 4 hours since I told him how she feels and he's avoiding her like she has three heads."

Lottie sighed, "Step 3: The Big Shove. I hope they forgive me."

Lucas frowned, "I hope they forgive 𝑈𝑆. I'm not letting you take the blame. You know that right?"

Lottie nodded. 

\---------------

Bobby was getting into bed when Veronica walked out of the bathroom still brushing her teeth. When she saw him she turned beet red and walked away. 

𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍. he sighed, 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓.

He got out of bed and joined her at the sink.

"So....."

She looked at him in the mirror. After she spit her toothpaste she joined the awkwardness.

"So."

They just stood there like strangers. They spoke at the same time.

"Bobby, I'm...."  
"Listen, Veronica..."

Veronica smiled and bit her lip. "You go first. The floor is yours." She did a curtsey.

Bobby laughed, "Why thank you ma'am." He couldn't meet her eyes in the mirror, "I know the last 24 hrs have been a little weird for us. But, I want you to know that I'd really like to move past it and focus on just enjoying our time here," He met her eyes, "as.......friends."

He instantly saw her face fall and he wanted to kick his own ass. The truth was, he didn't trust Lucas at least not fully. Who comes into a competition like this and then acts the way he was. It seemed off.

"Oh....right...yeah, uhhh, I'd like that." She was smiling but the tears were falling anyway. "Did you get a chance to talk to Lucas? Or..."

He replied fast cutting her off, "Yeah, we talked. He's a good guy. A great guy. Yeah..so, uhh, see you in there?"

"Sure. In a second. I just need a second."

\----------------

All the girls were gathered around sitting in beanbags and discussing the new guys.

"What about you, Veronica? Henrik or Lucas?"

"Hmmm?"

"Veronica, what's been going with you lately? I feel like I haven't even seen or talked to you in days." Hope was eyeing her

"I'm sorry, I've been having these headaches lately. I didn't bring my back up glasses and my contacts were drying my eyes out so I've been kind of blind around here." She lied.

"Oh, I hate those headaches!" Marisol agreed, "They are the worst."

"I used to get them but I decided to get lasik eye surgery. Best. Thing. Ever." Priya got excited, "That would be a great thing to spend the money on!"

"Oh yeah, great idea!" She smiled at the girls. 

"Oh yay! Guys! I got a text!"

𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛. 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚍! 𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚢! #𝚔𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 #𝚙𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚞𝚙

"We're going to be kissing?! Nice!" Priya fistpumped the air

Ibrahim frowned. "Fun...."

As the group walked over to the challenge area Lottie caught up to Lucas.

"Hey! This might be the place to start Step 3."

"You think? In front of everyone? What about Rocco?"

Lottie rolled her eyes, "What about him? He flirts with every girl in here and I'm pretty sure he's been going behind my back."

Lucas had a shocked look on his face, "And you're not completely pissed about that?"

"This," she pointed to Lucas and her, "Is more important right now. I am a very loyal girl Lucas. But today my girl is more important. Plus, after finding Veronica in a crying heap in the dressing room last night? Well. It's time."

"Well, that's very mature of you. Ok, let's start this thing."

The challenge was pretty simple. Everyone picked a card that had a "fun fact" about an Islander on it. Whoever you guessed was responsible for the fact you kissed them. Boys vs Girls obviously and winners won cocktails on the roof.

First card was about an expensive date. Hope kissed Ibrahim and earned a point. The game continued with silly little secrets and everyone was laughing. Until Veronica's secret was selected by Lucas. The secret was who got kicked out of a 5 year olds birthday party for eating the icing off all the cupcakes. In her defense, she was hungover from a bachelorette party the night before. The boys guessed it was her and when Lucas kissed her he didn't hold back. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her roughly to him. It started out slow but then it was rough, almost sloppy. She pushed him away, she was pissed, she she had told him nothing full on.

He leaned back in and kissed her cheek "I'm sorry." He whispered in her ear. 

She glanced at Bobby and he looked so upset. She just wanted to hug him. 

"Well? Were we right?" asked Gary interrupting the awkward silence.

Hope looked shocked but pulled herself together rather quickly, she cleared her throat, "yep, that was correct."

The guys cheered except for Bobby. He was just looking at his feet.

"Who's next?" asked Marisol 

"I am!" Lottie walked over and picked a card. Her hands were shaking. She tried to focus. Lucas and her had decided no matter what their cards said they would kiss their intended targets. She opened the envelope. "Ok ladies, I have to kiss the guy who has taken ballroom dance classes."

"Obviously, it's Lucas."

"Oh for sure, he's so posh."

All the girls agreed.

"Ok Lottie so you're kissing Lucas then?'

"I mean, can we be sure it's Lucas? What if it's like, Bobby?"

Hope's faced screwed up, "Bobby? Why?"

"Well, I mean think about it. He's really light on his feet. I can see him doing it for fun actually."

Veronica spoke up, "He did play piano. So it could be him."

"Really? Well, ok. If Veronica thinks it could be him then why not? Go for it Lottie."

Lottie walked over to Bobby and he had an amused look on his face. "You think it's me Lotters?"

Lottie just looked at him and smiled sweetly. She braced herself and took his face in her hands. She kissed him hard. So hard he took a step back and tried to pull away but she put a hand on the back of his neck and pulled him back in. It was like kissing her brother but she knew it wouldn't look like that. She pulled away and he looked so confused and, angry? There was a silence and then the yelling started.

"WHAT. THE. HELL?!" Veronica's face was blood red. She was shaking and her hands were balled into fists.

"YOU TWO?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIENDS?"

Veronica was very aware that all eyes were on her. But she did not give a damn. At. All. Her heart was breaking into a million pieces and she couldn't handle it. She could barely breath.

"Ok girls! Obviously this challenge is over..."

She rounded on Hope, "OH IS IT OVER HOPE?! THANK YOU OH QUEEN OF HOPE ISLAND!! WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT YOUR WISE WORDS OF WISDOM?!"

Marisol let out a nervous giggle

"AND YOU MARISOL! MISS, I'M SO EDUCATED AND ABOVE EVERYONE HERE! YEAH WELL SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS! DOES THIS ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT IF BOBBY AND I ARE MORE THAN FRIENDS?!"

Everyone had their mouths hanging open. They had never seen Veronica so angry and upset.

She rounded on Bobby next. He was a mixture of every kind of emotion right now. He wanted to just pull her into him and kiss her and say he was sorry for everything that he didn't say last night but he didn't think she would even listen. Everyone else was edging away from the platform trying to escape before Volcano Veronica fully erupted.

"AND YOU!" she poked him in the chest. "YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT!" she laughed but it was not friendly, "I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE FEELINGS FOR A GUY WHO WILL NEVER FEEL THE SAME WAY! I THOUGHT WE WERE HONEST WITH EACH OTHER AND THEN YOU GO BEHIND MY BACK AND GET WITH LOTTIE?? SERIOUSLY?" she was running out of steam now and she realized it was just her and Bobby. She closed her eyes to squeeze the tears away, "I just want you to tell me why."

He was shaking. From nerves? From anger? Maybe a mixture of both. "I'M SORRY, WHY?! YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY! IF YOU MEAN LOTTIE, THEN I CAN'T ANSWER YOU! I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL THAT WAS!" he tried to focus but failed, "YOU DON'T THINK I HAVE FEELINGS FOR YOU? ALL I WANT IS TO HOLD YOU AND MAKE EVERYTHING GO AWAY, BUT I CAN'T!" Damn, he felt sick, "I am not the right man for you. And tonight proved that. I wish you all the best with Lucas." He knew he shouldn't have yelled at her but fuck, he was losing it.

"Don't do that."

"What?"

She crossed her arms, "Don't stand there and tell me that you care and then try to brush me off. That's not fair! We haven't even gave us a shot yet! I don't want to be with Lucas, he's a friend. All he's been doing is trying to he-" she stopped mid sentence. 𝑾𝒂𝒔 𝑳𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒎? 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆. "Oh my God! Are you serious!?" She was shouting into the sky, "Damn them!"

Bobby was trying to keep up but he couldn't. He told her he had feelings for her and she didn't laugh or dismiss him. She felt the same. Lucas was telling the truth.

"What is happening?"

"We need to talk to Lottie and Lucas. All four of us."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the Villa. Lottie was sitting with Lucas who was trying to calm her down. She was not expecting Veronica to be that upset.

"Lottie! Lucas! Rooftop. Now!" Veronica was marching across the lawn pulling Bobby behind her.

"We better go." Lucas handed Lottie another tissue. "Let's just get it over with."

When they arrived to the the roof, Veronica was sitting down with her legs crossed and Bobby was sitting beside her looking very uncomfortable.

"Please sit." 

"Veronica, I am so sorry. I did it for you, you have to believe that." Lottie was desperate to get this behind them

"Yeah, and you can't just blame Lottie. It was mainly my idea to begin with."

She held a hand up to silence them, "Why like this? In front of everyone? You didn't think there could have been another way?"

"We thought you guys needed a push. A big push. And this is what we came up with."

"I wish you would have told me you two had teamed up. We don't need to be shoved together like sardines."

"You're right and we're sorry, but after I told Bobby how you felt and he didn't do anything about it, we decided we should try to do more. I'm sorry we interfered so much. I guess we were wrong? I guess you guys aren't supposed to be together." 

His words hung in the air. The only noise was Lottie sniffling.

Bobby stood up, "Hey, can you guys give us a minute?" He looked down at Veronica.

"Of course Bobby, and again, I am really sorry."

"I know Lottie. We'll talk later ok?"

"Sure."

Lottie and Lucas walked into the bedroom. They smiled at each other.

"Step 4: The Talk is right on schedule. " Lucas laughed, "That was intense." He first bumped Lottie. "We make a good team." And they walked down to the kitchen to have a drink.

\----------------

Bobby sat down next to Veronica and put his hand on her knee. 

"Well, that was.....something."

"Was he right?" She looked at Bobby, "Are we not supposed to be together?"

"Of course not. I enjoy being -"

"Bobby McKenzie. I swear if you tell me that you enjoy being my friend one more time I will leave. Just be honest."

Bobby stood back up and leaned against the railing, "Why can't you see that I'm not the guy that you deserve? You deserve someone who can buy you nice things, someone who can sweep you off your feet. Not someone who is broken, like me. But yes, to answer your question....again," he gave her a soft smile, "I want to be with you more than anything in this world. But what should I say? That you're all I think about? That our first kiss almost ruined me? Or that I knew I had to know you from the first time I heard you laugh? Veronica, I am ok with just being your friend because all I want is for you to be happy."

"Happy?" Bobby nodded, "Babe, I'm miserable. Let me tell you something. I cried myself to sleep every night that I was with 𝒉𝒊𝒎. But every night I sleep next to you? I wake up smiling. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 do that." She sighed, "you say that you're this broken person and I deserve better. But what if we're two broken pieces that actually fit together? Actually 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 together? What if we both survived our shitty experiences so we could find each other? Isn't that worth finding out?" She waited for him to say something but he didn't so she continued. "Look at this," she showed him a bunch of scars on her inner thigh, "You want to talk about being broken? I cut myself even after I left him because I thought I still deserved to be hurt. I thought I was worthless without him. But I was wrong and so are you. I didn't feel anything the first time we kissed because I was still numb. But after I opened up to you, I gave you my heart and when I kissed you on the bed? I was brought back to life. For you. Please give us a chance? That's all I ask."

In one quick swoop Bobby gathered her up in his arms and carried her into the dressing room and sat her on the vanity. She wrapped her legs around his waist and looked into his eyes. 

He rested his forehead against hers. "Has anyone ever told you that you're cute when you're mad?" 

She had a huge smile on her face. "Some baker boy said it to me once." 

He pressed his lips to hers and the entire Villa disappeared. She felt like she was floating. She was desperate for him and he smiled against her lips. He wanted to devour every inch of her. She pulled him even closer and started to undue his buttons. He needed to stop because he didn't want their first time to be in the dressing room. She was his and he would give her only the best. He pulled away. "Slow down, we'll have plenty of time for that. Tonight has been really intense." She pouted. He was in trouble. That mouth of hers was irresistible. He kissed her on the forehead. "Let's get ready for bed." She gave him a look. "To sleep." He chuckled. "Come on." He took her hand and led her into the bedroom. Where everyone was already getting into bed.

He whispered in her ear, "Good thing we did stop. I don't want an audience with you at least for now." He winked

"I know what you mean." She cuddled up to him. He took her hand and kissed it.

"Is this... swoon worthy?" He motioned to them

She giggled, "It is definitely swoon worthy."

Almost instantly they drifted off to sleep.

\---------------------

"I knew this was happening! You can have him! I'm just really disappointed in you Marisol! You could have at least talked to me!" Lottie was starting the day off good and mad.

"Oh yeah, you're one to talk! You've been getting it on with Bobby behind everyone's back too!"

"How dare you! Bobby has nothing to do with this. So leave it, ok?"

Veronica turned to Bobby who was also listening to the drama unfolding in the next room.

"This is going to be a long day isn't it?"

Bobby pulled her on top of him. He put a finger to her lips, "Let's not ruin our first morning together with talk about the Villa." 

"That'll be tough considering it's like a yelling match in there." 

"You are so beautiful, ya know?"

She smiled, "Trying to change the subject huh? Well, so are you." She leaned down and kissed him. There was an immediate spark and she instantly needed him. She nibbled on his lip and he moaned while thrusting up to her. She started to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm going to have fun with you I think."

"Should I be worried?"

"Maybe a little bit."

He laughed, "As long as we're together I'm not worried about anything," He tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear. "Hey, I like you."

"I like you more." She kissed his chest right above his heart

He grinned at her and leaned up to whisper in her ear, "Swoon."

She giggled and hit him with her pillow "Let's go get some coffee."

And they walked to the kitchen hand in hand.

\--------------

"Tonya, the ratings are in from last night's episode and you're going to freak!"

Tonya grabbed the paper from her assistant. She quickly skimmed the numbers.

"Seriously?! These are the highest numbers we've seen. I don't think Survivor has even come close to this."

"Right?! And the hashtag Team Bonnie crashed Twitter last night!"

Tonya rolled her eyes, fucking hashtags, hashtags didn't pay her bills but these ratings did. 

"So this is because of that baker guy?"

"Veronica and Bobby, yeah. And I think a little bit of Lucas and Lottie too. Hashtag LLTeamUp is trending this morning."

"Ok. Get me everything on the actual couple and a few things on the other two. Can you put a tape together with just their parts on the show so far so I can watch it later?"

"Absolutely! I'll go right now."

The phone rang, "Tonya Richards, producer. Yes, I just saw them. Well yeah, we have to shift focus on them. Right. Yeah, my assistant is doing that now. Of course I haven't watched any of the episodes, I've been busy...."

Just outside the office, Rachel had heard every word. 

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔. 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆.

Rachel knocked on the door. "Excuse me? Ms. Richards?"

She looked up, "Yes? Can I help you?"

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation earlier. From a viewer stand point, I think you should focus on something else for a few episodes. Like Rocco and Marisol maybe?"

"Who?"

"They're two contestants that have been sneaking around."

Tonya narrowed her eyes, "You're an assistant right?" She nodded, "Well if you like your job, keep your ideas to yourself."

"Right, sorry. I'll be leaving now."

As Rachel walked away she couldn't help but feel sorry for Veronica. She was too sweet to be treated like this. She had already exposed so much about her past. Didn't she deserve to be happy? She remembered the day they had met. Veronica told her every detail of the hell she had endured with Travis. It was because they had no connection that Veronica opened up like that. She was used to contestants telling her things they might not tell others, it was just something that happened but there were a few things that Veronica had told her that she knew no one else but a very select few knew. Veronica said so. But leave it to these people and they would be exposed and she had no clue what Veronica would do.

\-------------

Misty was confused. She had just been called by a Producer of the show and they asked her questions about Veronica. She thought at first it was probably for a challenge but then the questions got weird. They wanted to know about her relationship with Travis and who Veronica's cousin was. She refused to answer because she didn't see why those things were necessary. 

The last few questions they asked were weird too, "Are you happy for Veronica." Of course she was. Why wouldn't she be? Then they asked if Misty had been watching the episodes. She admitted that due to work she had to record them on some nights. They seemed happy about that and thanked her. Something felt off.

\-------------

As Veronica walked down to the kitchen with Bobby, she was very aware of all eyes being glued to her. She had turned into a version of herself last night that hadn't seen the light of day since, well I'm sure you can guess. It was "Fight Back" Veronica and she could be a bit harsh. She needed to apologize. Especially to Hope and Marisol.

"Hey Veronica! Over here!"

Priya was waving her over to the group of girls all sitting together in the sun loungers. She turned to Bobby.

"Go ahead," he told her, "I'll make some coffee." She kissed his cheek and went over to the girls.

"How are you feeling? After yesterday?" Of course that was the first thing on the agenda. 

"You know what? I'm really good actually."

All the girls looked at her like they didn't believe her. She laughed, "Honest! I swear! Things are ok now." she blushed a little.

"Oh....I'm sure Bobby helped with that huh?" Priya winked at her and sighed, "Mmm, make up sex is the best sex, am I right Veronica?"

She smiled, "No comment." and she stuck her tongue out.

All the girls laughed and for an instant everything seemed normal. Just sitting here talking to the girls was nice. She hoped things were about to start going better for everyone. But then she heard a ding and remembered they were on a reality TV show.

The text was just telling them that the guys would be having a Mr Love Island Contest for them and they would vote for who was most dateable earning them the title of Mr. Love Island. All the girls cheered and they could hear the guys moan. 

"This will be so much fun! Obviously my vote is for Noah but I can't wait to see what the other guys come up with." Hope smiled

"Hey Hope? I just wanted to apologize for what I said yesterday. I wasn't myself and I definitely crossed a line. Same to you Marisol." She looked down at her hands. Hope reached out and put a hand on top of hers 

"Babe, it's fine. I would have done the same if it were me. Lottie explained everything to me. Besides, I know I can be a little bossy. Let's forget it."

"Thank you." She looked over at Marisol who looked annoyed.

"I'm not mad at what you said. Your opinion of me really doesn't matter. I am however pissed off by how you've treated Bobby. You and Lottie are both ridiculous."

"Ladies...." Hope was trying to calm the situation but Lottie was already seeing red

"Excuse me Marisol?! The only person in here that is ridiculous is you. You have been sneaking behind everyone's back and getting with Rocco. Veronica is a damn angel so leave her alone." 

"You are so pig headed Lottie! Has everyone forgot about how Lucas kissed Veronica and then Lottie and Bobby?"

Priya decided to jump in, "It was a little....weird. I mean, I know Lucas is attractive and has money but I pegged you as someone who was loyal Veronica. And Lottie, I thought you respected Girl Code. The way you kissed Bobby yesterday? That was not the first time was it?"

"Yes, it was! I have never kissed Bobby except for yesterday and it was like kissing my brother. Plus, I've already talked to Veronica about it. That's the only person I owe an explanation to anyway." She crossed her arms

"Lottie is a great friend and she did talk to me." She smiled at Lottie, "I don't want it brought back up again. Her and Lucas were just trying to help me and Bobby and even though it was extreme. It worked. And Lucas and I are extremely good friends. I'm hurt you think I would go for him because he has money though. Material things don't matter to me. I really care about Bobby and I'm excited to see where this goes. Ok?'

Marisol was over it, "So you get to run around hurting his feelings and then you say that you've cared for him this whole time and you think that will fix everything? He's a person Veronica! After I found you guys the other night in the bedroom and you ran off he looked so upset. That's not what you do to someone you care for. That's just being selfish!"

"Where is this coming from? You have no clue what was going on that night. I don't have to explain my feelings to you or anyone else. And why do you care so much anyway? Do you have feelings for Bobby or something?" She saw Marisol flinch, "Omg, that's it isn't it? You like Bobby and the only reason you're sneaking around with Rocco is because Bobby would never even look in your direction. Face it, Rocco's a slime ball who will get with anyone that has a fucking pulse. You honestly disgust me." 

"She's not wrong Marisol, I don't think Rocco is here with good intentions." Priya shook her head, "He tried it with me the first night."

"He tried it with me on Day 2 I think."

"Wait? What? He's tried it with all of you?" Marisol looked sad

"Yeah, he suggested we have a threesome. Me, him and Lottie. It really upset me." Veronica didn't know what else to say. 

"Marisol, you're the only one dumb enough to listen to him, and now, here we are. The only reason I'm not more pissed off is because I saw it in my tea leaves."

Marisol got up and walked into the kitchen. All the girls looked at each other.

"I'm really impressed with you Lottie. You're being really mature about everything." Hope was smiling 

"Hope, I have apologized to Veronica like four times in the last 48 hours. That does things to a person."

They all laughed and went to get ready for the talent show.


	7. Mr. Love Island and the Cold Hearted Bitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the Mr. Love Island Talent Show! Who will win? 
> 
> Come find out....
> 
> Oh, and Veronica likes Bobby's speech writing abilities 😉

The girls had been ready for the talent show for over an hour. The boys were taking their dear sweet time.

"They better be amazing for taking so long." Priya took a drink from her water bottle. "It's too hot today."

"Right? My makeup looks too good to start running."

Noah walked up while they were complaining. "Hey ladies, how's it going?"

"Hey good lookin!" said Hope, he leaned down and gave her a kiss.

"I was sent to find Veronica. Bobby needs your help."

"Help with what?" She was confused 

Noah shrugged, "He didn't say. Maybe his speech?"

"Veronica, go help your man so we can get this started." Lottie smiled at her

"Ok, wish me luck!"

Veronica followed Noah to the dressing room. It was the craziest thing she'd ever seen. Was that Henrik wearing lipstick? 𝑵𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓.....

"Ronnie! There you are! I really need your help."

"What's wrong?"

He took her hand, "Let's go to the bedroom, it's too weird in here." He pointed at Gary who was in a bright red speedo. She giggled.

When they got to the bedroom he pulled her to into him. "You look beautiful today."

She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him. His tongue found hers and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck. He walked her over to the edge of the bed, never breaking the kiss. She moaned and he started trailing kisses down her neck to her collar bone. She was so ready for him and she could tell he was ready as well.

Somehow she managed to find her voice, "What about this speech? I thought you needed help?" She could feel him smiling against her neck.

"Help with my speech? Veronica, I'm a speech writing pro. I just couldn't handle being without you for another second. But we don't have a lot of time." he laid her down on the bed, He started trailing kisses back up her neck all while guiding his hand up her thighs to her panties which were completely soaked now. 

He stopped for a second and whispered, "Seems like someone else couldn't stand being away from me either." His breath on her neck sent a shiver down her spine she helped him remove them and he quickly inserted a finger into her aching core. She gasped as he began to give her exactly what she needed. She wanted to scream his name and beg him to give her all of him. He looked her directly in the eyes and smirked at her. He knew what he was doing and he was enjoying it. He licked his lips and she giggled with excitement. They kissed and he picked up speed. He needed her to come for him. She started to move with him and he could tell she was close.

He slowed down and she made the cutest noise he had ever heard. "You're too fucking adorable."

He traced a heart through the scars on her inner thigh and placed a kiss on top of them. She felt tears well up in her eyes at the sweet gesture. With his head between her legs she came undone. The emotions she felt were overwhelming. 

He pulled her skirt back down and stood up pulling her with him and right into his arms. She was a little unsteady on her feet but that was fine with her.

He kissed her hand, she tasted like honey and he was hooked, "See you down there." He turned to walk back to the dressing room, stuffing her panties in his pants pocket.

She didn't know what to do. That had been the best thing she'd ever experienced and she didn't even get all of him. 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒚 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒕.

Veronica tried to put herself back together. Her hair was a bit of a mess and her lipstick was smudged but none of that mattered much to her because staring back at her in the mirror was a girl who looked insanely happy. She hadn't seen this girl in a long time. This was the girl she wanted to be and she was getting there, because of him. There was no sadness behind her eyes. No frown on her lips. It was replaced by a cheesy grin that wouldn't go away.

"Veronica, what are you...." Lottie stopped short and looked at her friend. She looked beautiful. Granted she was also a mess, but a beautiful one and Lottie was thrilled for her. "Were you in a hurricane? Because your hair is wild."

"Yeah, Hurricane Bonnie." She giggled. She was definitely head over heels.

"Ok, that's annoyingly cute." she smiled, "Let's fix your hair and make up." Lottie got to work and in no time at all Veronica looked presentable. "Let's go! It's about to start. Lucky for you they decided to do some interviews first."

When they got to the lawn it was unrecognizable. There was a catwalk and everything. All the girls were chatting away about how funny this would be.

𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐! she laughed to herself 

"There you are Veronica! We sent Lottie to find you because you were taking forever! Was Bobby's speech that bad?" 

Veronica didn't know what to say, she was still riding her high from earlier. She knew she was blushing. Thankfully Lottie spoke.

"Oh I think Bobby's 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒄𝒉 was just right." 

Priya looked confused. "You helped him too?"

Veronica caught Lottie's eye and they burst into a fit of laughter. They had tears in their eyes they were laughing so hard. Priya and Hope looked at each other seeing if the other one got the joke. Hope shrugged.

"Anyway, I think it's finally about to start. I can't wait to see Ibrahim's swimsuit category." Priya fanned herself 

Marisol was on the end trying very hard to ignore everyone. She knew why the others were mad at her about Rocco, but so what? Her gameplan here was to shake things up and she felt like she was getting there. Suddenly she was brought back to reality by Hope.

"Marisol, who are you most excited to see?"

The girls eyed her assuming she'd say Rocco so they could judge her even more. Instead she decided to move to someone else. "Actually," she locked eyes with Veronica, "I can't wait to see what Bobby has to offer."

Everyone looked between Veronica and Marisol. The air was suddenly thick with tension. 

Hope scrunched up her face. "Bobby? That's not what I thought you'd say."

"Yeah, what about Rocco? Or Gary? You 𝒂𝒓𝒆 coupled up with Gary, ya know?"

"I'm aware with who I'm in a couple with Priya." Marisol rolled her eyes, "Gary just isn't doing it for me."

"Shhh! Girls! It's starting!"

The show was definitely interesting. In the swimsuit round most of the guys did a strip tease. Gary's revealed his red speedo and everyone laughed at that. Bobby wore Priya's dress and Veronica thought it was the silliest thing she'd ever seen. He heard her laughing and winked at her. Henrik was covered in glitter and had bright red lipstick on. Lottie was mad he had used hers but she also respected him for having good taste.

The talent part consisted of many strange abilities from the guys. Gary ate a raw onion. Yum? Lucas almost killed Lottie with an egg and Bobby baked a cupcake that he pulled from the depths of Priya's dress. The girls were loving this challenge more than any of the others.

Finally the speeches. Veronica was surprised by how good they were. The guys actually took this part seriously. Lucas talked about how he lived a busy life working at the clinic but it was his passion. He said he wanted to find someone who would respect that. He also went on to say that even if he didn't find love it was ok because he had made a few lasting friendships. Veronica gave him a standing ovation when he had finished. The other speech that really stood out was Noah's. You could tell he really did care for Hope and Veronica thought it was the sweetest thing. Finally it was Bobby's turn. 

"Ladies, there are dozens of reasons you all should vote for me and no guys, I didn't bribe them with cookies, until now." He winked at the girls and the guys laughed. "I think being 'most dateable' is kind of a silly concept in a way. Sure you want girls to date you but it's getting that one girl to notice you, that's the hard part. But when she does, it's electric. And honestly no other girl can compare after that. Now, I'm not talking about just any ordinary girl. I'm talking about That Girl. The one that can ruin you after one kiss. The one that tells you her secrets because she knows you'll keep them safe. And that girl? That girl is worth fighting for." He looked at Veronica, "You're worth fighting for beautiful girl."

The girls burst into applause when Bobby was finished. Priya wiped a few tears away. Veronica was standing cheering for him. Before he left the stage she mouthed the word "swoon" to him. He laughed, pointed at her and tapped his nose twice. He then disappeared to join the other guys backstage while the girls voted.

"Bobby! Great speech mate! Veronica looked happy about it that's for sure." 

"Thanks man, I really appreciate it. Making her happy is my favorite thing to do if I'm honest."

Gary laughed, "You melt! But seriously, I get it. You two are good together."

Bobby saw Lucas talking to Henrik. He needed to talk to him. They never really got to clear the air.

"Lucas. Henrik. How's it going? Love your lipstick by the way. Not everyone can pull off such a fierce shade of red."

Henrik laughed and slapped Bobby on the shoulder, "Thanks! Not everyone can pull off such a low cut dress either. Nice choice." The three of them shared a laugh and then Lucas cleared his throat.

"Hey Buddy?" He turned to Henrik, "Could you give us a minute?"

"Sure, I need to try and wipe this stuff off anyway."

Lucas looked at Bobby "Everything ok?"

"I just wanted to say, thank you. I really appreciate what you did for us. If it wasn't for you and Lottie....well, who knows where we'd be."

"You'd still be two people lying about your feelings." Lucas smiled at him. "I'm glad we could help. I'm just sorry we went a little extreme. Just so you know. Lottie felt awful. She's really close to Veronica and you know how much she values loyalty."

Bobby nodded, "I will admit though. It was actually brilliant. Especially the last part, when you said we didn't belong together. That Stung a bit but it did the job."

Lucas chuckled, "You noticed that huh? We figured a tiny seed of doubt would do the trick. Guess we were right."

"Oi! They've got the results!" Gary was waving everyone out.

The guys walked out to the stage where the girls were in a circle chatting, except for Marisol. Bobby had noticed that she seemed to distance herself from the others more and more. 

"Ok guys, so after going over everything we unfortunately have a tie."

"What? A tie? I am not doing that again, once was enough."

"Settle down Gary, no one is saying that." Lottie smiled, "The tie is between Bobby and Lucas."

"Alright!" Shouted Bobby and he started singing "We are the Champions."

Lucas shrugged and joined him. The girls couldn't stop laughing but Hope managed to pull herself together, "Stop! Stop! We've decided that to pick a winner you two need to have a dance off."

"A dance off? Against this guy?" Lucas pointed at Bobby, "I forfeit."

"Aww, I was excited to show you all my sweet moves!" Bobby's phone dinged, he looked down at his phone:

𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍! 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎! #𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘 #𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐

"Oh wow! That's really cool!" Bobby was excited to talk to his family and friends. 

Priya walked over and put a tiara on his head and draped a sash over him that said Mr Love Island. "I am so wearing this all day!" and with that, all the guys pushed him into the pool.

\--------------------

"Bobby won Mr. Love Island! He won!"

Tonya looked up from her cellphone where she was trying to get information on Veronica. Her assistant, Hunter, was out of breath and had a paper in his hand.

"Really? The baker won? Excellent! Is that the updated list of contacts?"

Hunter took a minute to catch his breath. He was bent over with his hands on his hips. "Yes, it has his parents, his best friend and, her."

"Ok, did you call them yet?"

"Everyone is on standby but one of them. Traffic."

"Damn," she tossed her phone on her desk, "Ok, just have them send a text out saying we're having technical difficulties. This doesn't air unless we get them all."

"You got it!" and Hunter ran back down the hallway 

Tonya was thrilled, she closed her eyes and leaned back into her chair, she couldn't wait to see the reactions when people watched this. She heard the familiar buzz of the speaker system, it was outdated but she enjoyed hitting that button and yelling at her secretary. She leaned towards it, "Yes, Suzie, you needed something?" 

"Oh yes! I have great news!"

".......ok? Tell me!" She rolled her eyes, maybe it was time for a new secretary.

"Right, sorry, Travis Carver is on Line One!!!"

Tonya knew that name, it was written on a green sticky note on her computer. She turned off the speaker and pressed Line One, "Mr. Carver! So good to talk to you! You are a hard man to track down."

\--------------------

"Guys! I got a text!"

𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜! 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜! 𝙱𝚘𝚋𝚋𝚢, 𝚠𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚞𝚙 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗! 𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎, 𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎! #𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝙸𝚃 #𝙾𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚎𝚜

"Yes! Ice Lollies!" Gary ran off towards the kitchen

"That sucks babe, I'm sorry." Veronica put her hand on Bobby's chest and hugged him.

"It's ok. I'm sure they'll fix it soon." He nuzzled into her hair, it smelled like pineapples.

"Want to sit down?" She pointed to the firepit.

"Only if you sit on my lap." He smiled at her

She giggled, "Why? That's so random."

"Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie, your man is random. Get used to it." He tickled her stomach and she burst out laughing.

He sat down on the bench and she got comfy on his knee. "So, how does it feel to be coupled up with Mr. Love Island? Impressed yet?"

She put her legs on either side of him so that she was straddling him. "Are you happy? With me?"

Bobby looked up at her and raised an eyebrow, "Hell yes, I'm happy with you. Did today not show you that?"

She looked sad and he hated when she was sad. He would do anything to make her smile. He searched her face for a sign of what could of caused this shift. He prayed it wasn't him. She looked like she was thinking about what to say so he waited.

"Today was amazing Bobby. I'm embarrassed to say this but.......you know....earlier today?"

"You mean.....when you helped me with my speech?" he winked at her.

She blushed and nodded, "Yeah. I never knew it could feel that wonderful. I mean, I felt things today that I've never experienced before, with anyone. You were so gentle and sweet and loving. You didn't even focus on yourself. It was all about me."

He felt his chest tighten. "Damn, not going to lie, that hurts my soul a little bit. Veronica, He never deserved you. I hope you know that."

She pulled him into a hug and nodded into his shoulder. "I do now. I feel like you healed a little bit of my heart today." she laughed at herself, "Wow, I'm such a melt."

He grinned at her, he knew exactly what she meant. He had felt the same way when they first kissed. 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓. As soon as that thought entered his brain he froze, did he really love her?

"I have one more question."

"Another question? It's like you can't get enough of me!" he smiled at her, "What do you want to know?"

"It might be a little personal. About your past. Is that ok?"

His smile was gone but he figured this would come up eventually. "It's fine. I'm not afraid to talk about it."

"Well, I just want to know how you're able to be happy all the time."

He didn't know how to answer that. He really didn't expect it. Most people asked about when he got to the hospital or what he was thinking when he opened the pill bottle but no one had ever asked him that before.

"What do you mean?"

She climbed off of him and stood up. "I mean, since....since everything that happened, I've only really had two emotions. Sad and angry. Happy.....hurts. After awhile, my chest gets tight and then I start having flashbacks or nightmares. Sometimes both. So I push things that make me happy away because I'm afraid of facing the pain. Being numb is easier." She looked over at him, "I mean, you make me happy and I do 𝒏𝒐𝒕 want to push you away but I'm scared I will. Does that make sense?"

"It makes complete sense, but news alert, you're stuck with me. Like glue. And my jokes don't always mean I'm happy. Sometimes they're like my defense mechanisms." He leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him, "How long have you been in therapy?"

"Thirteen months."

He nodded, "Well, I've been in therapy for over two years now. You know how they say 'time heals'? Like constantly?" she nodded, "Every time they said that to me, I never believed it. I mean, time almost killed me. Literally. One week without her and I couldn't handle it anymore. But, it's true. Those first eighteen months? They were fucking hard. It was like rolling a five hundred pound rock up a hill. Not to mention, I was an asshole. To my parents, to my friends, to everyone I met, but then one day things just felt easier. It was because I finally accepted that it was her problem that things didn't work, not mine." He reached out for her hand and she took it. "If you feel happy, be happy. If you feel sad, be sad. Feeling your emotions is important. Bottling them up is the worse thing you can do, but the only difference between you and me is time. But I CAN promise that you'll get there and you'll have me. To hold your hand, bake you delicious treats and kiss your scars away."

She started to tear up. How could a guy she only knew for six days already care for her more then a guy she knew for five years, ever did? While she was lost in thought Bobby got a text.

"My call is ready. Finish this when I'm done?"

"Sure, enjoy it! I'm going to go find Lottie."

He kissed her on the forehead and walked to the beach hut. When he arrived he was hyped. He couldn't wait to see what his parents had to say and he hoped Jonno would be on there too. He got in the massive chair and turned toward the screen.

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗯𝗯𝘆! 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹. 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆!

𝑶𝒉 𝒘𝒐𝒘! 𝑨 𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍? 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓!

His parents appeared on the screen. They were smiling.

"My sweetheart!!"

"Hey Mom! Dad. How have you guys been?"

"Things have been really good! Ms. Jenkins broke her ankle though so I've been making her chicken soup every day because she's so lo-"

"Grace, the boy doesn't want to hear about the neighbors."

Bobby laughed, his parents were the greatest.

"Oh you're right, I'm sorry. Just so you know, Riley is doing good, she misses you though."

"Thanks for watching her, I know she's a bit of a handful for you guys."

"Oh please! She's important to you so she's important to us. Now. Let's talk about Veronica! Oh Bobby, she's lovely. Shame she went through such a terrible ordeal."

"She's really amazing Mom. I really care for her."

"Honey, everyone can tell you're meant to be. Please don't be scared of love. What have I always told you since that day?"

Bobby smiled at his beautiful mother, "The strongest hearts have the most scars."

"You two are alot stronger than you think. Hold on tight son."

He was shocked to hear his Dad say something like that, he was a man of few words.

"I will." He looked over at the camera above the monitor watching his every move, then back to his parents. "I think I love her."

His mom clapped her hands and was tearing up, "Oh Bobby, we know. And we're so happy and proud of you. Just take it slow telling her. She's still very fragile. Oh sweetie, they're saying we're out of time. Love you!" They waved at the screen. Bobby waved back as it faded to black.

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱....

He saw his friend appear on the screen.

"Jonno?! Hey man! Great to see ya!"

"Annoying friend Bobby? Really?"

Bobby burst out laughing, of course Jonno wouldn't let that go. "That's the first thing you're going to say to me? I said that on Day 1, but to be fair I said annoying friends are the best kind. So...."

Jonno laughed, "You know I just like messing with you. Veronica is too nice to you. You need your ass kicked from time to time."

He smiled at his friend, he wasn't wrong, "I know man and Veronica is so amazing. I have no clue what I'm doing."

"Look. You like her and she likes you. Just enjoy it. You guys have a huge following."

"What do you mean?"

"Twitter. People are nuts for you two. You'll like this, they actually have a Hashtag Bonnie."

"Are you serious? That's hilarious! I'll have to tell her."

Jonno laughed. "Mate she already knows. Lucas told her. He's like the president of the fanclub."

"Oh really? Makes sense why he was so intense on getting us together then."

"He's a really good guy. You kind of owe him one."

"Yeah, I guess I do. I haven't been this happy in a long time."

"Well you deserve it. I'm really happy for you man. I gotta go though. Can't wait to meet her!"

The screen faded to black. Bobby was in such a great mood. All the people who were important to him loved Veronica and that's all he needed to know. Just then words appeared on the monitor.

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂....

𝑨𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏? He bet it was his group counselor. He was really happy for him when Bobby had told him about coming on the show. He waited for the screen to light up. He heard her voice first and froze.

"Hi Bobby. You look great."

𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒂.

He stared at the screen blinking. This was a nightmare. It had to be.

"What the hell is happening?"

She smiled, "I'm part of your prize."

He clenched his jaw "What contest in Hell did I win to get you?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Funny as ever I see."

Bobby looked up at the camera and spoke, "Can I leave? I don't want to deal with this."

Some women's voice came over a speaker, "You need to stay. She has something important to say."

He was so angry he was shaking. What the hell was going on?

"Bobby. I miss you."

"Don't." He glared at her, "How dare you say that to me."

"I want us to get back together."

Bobby felt sick, "Absolutely not."

"Why? Because of that girl?" she scoffed, "Veronica has issues Bobby. She's damaged goods. Look," she reached for something off screen. "I still have my ring. We were going to get married. Have a family. We still can. I love you Bo-"

"Hell no. You don't get to say her name! I can't even believe I'm talking to you, Cara! YOU left ME, remember? I have no idea what sick game you're playing but I don't want any part of it. I'm happy for the first time in a long time and I'm holding on to it."

Cara started to laugh, "Happy? Don't be delusional. If you really cared for her then why haven't you told her that we were supposed to get married on the day you had your dramatic episode?"

"Dramatic episode?! You mean when I tried to kill myself??! Jesus Cara, what happened to you? You used to be this sweet, caring girl. Now you're just a cold hearted bitch."

She rolled her eyes, "I grew up Bobby."

There she went always saying he was a child. "Right."

"Listen, call me when you get out. I'd love to see you again." she blew a kiss at the screen and it faded to black.

Bobby felt like he was having a stroke. 

He looked at the camera. "I want answers. right. now." he grit his teeth.

There was no answer but then a door opened. A woman in a business suit stepped out. She went to shake his hand but he didn't take it.

"Tonya Richards, how are you doing Bobby?"

"I'm pissed."

"Well we don't want that. Especially from one of our favorite Islanders. I'm assuming you're angry about Cara?"

"Uhhh. Yeah. Why did you guys even reach out to her? She wasn't on my list." he crossed his arms.

"Oh believe me, I know! She reached out to us because she said she was an ex and you were the one that got away. I'm guessing now that wasn't entirely accurate?"

"Do you not even watch your own show? I've mentioned her in here."

Tonya narrowed her eyes at him, "Must have been an oversight. My apologies. She seems like she still cares for you though."

Bobby didn't respond. He just stared at Tonya trying to figure her out. Finally he decided to speak. "Can I get out of here?"

"Sure, enjoy the rest of the night."

Bobby felt frantic. He needed to talk to someone but not Veronica. He was so angry! He didn't want her to see him like this. He also wanted to bake something. It always calmed him down. He was pacing up and down the bedroom trying to get his mind to focus. He hadn't needed a breathing exercise in a year but it would help right now. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing. He felt his heart rate slowing down. 

"You alright?"

He turned to see Lucas. 

"You're a doctor right? Can you die from being too pissed off?"

Lucas was worried, "Well not really a Doctor so much, but I did my residency at a Hospital if that helps?" He hoped that would lighten the mood.....It didn't. "Bobby, what happened? Is everything ok with you and Veronica?"

"Veronica and I are amazing. She's amazing. It's this stupid show that's the problem. "

"Ok, but what happened?"

"Cara. She was on the fucking video call! They ambushed me!" he pinched the bridge of his nose. "She said she missed me and wanted us to try again. Veronica's name came out of her fucking mouth. I am not ok with that." He threw the stupid phone they gave them on the first day to communicate with. It bounced off the wall unharmed.

He sat down on the bed hanging his head. Lucas sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Well that's fucked. It's obviously for entertainment but I don't think the viewers will like that. But drama does help ratings, which is all they really care about."

"Yeah no shit, some producer tried to act like it was an innocent mistake. I called her out."

Lucas laughed, "Well good for you! They deserved it."

"I need to find Veronica but I'm so angry right now. I don't want her to see me like this. What if I scare her?"

"𝑯𝒆𝒓? Scared of 𝒚𝒐𝒖? She'd be more worried than anything."

"We had a conversation earlier and she asked if I was happy with her. I know that Travis used to get mad at her all the time over nothing. I don't want her to think my anger is towards her."

"Ok, one, you're not Travis and two if you both are open and just communicate with each other every thing will be fine, but you can't avoid her, that'll hurt her more than anything. I'm sure she's with Lottie so you have a bit to calm down."

"Can I tell you something? Something Veronica doesn't even know?"

"Sure."

"The day I took those pills?" Lucas nodded, "I was supposed to be getting married."

Lucas was speechless. What did you say to that? I'm sorry? Tough luck? Instead he just let out a breath.

Bobby looked up at him with tears in his eyes. "How do I tell her? I know I need to. I'm just freaking out."

"Just say what you said to me. I really don't think she'll be mad about that. I actually think she'll understand."

Bobby wiped his eyes, "I just don't want to lose her over something that doesn't even matter now."

The door opened and Lottie peeked in. Lucas shook his head.

"Sorry. Veronica was looking for Bobby."

"He'll be down in a bit, he's got a migraine."

"Oh ok, I'll let her know." she smiled at Lucas and left.

Bobby stared at the door, "She likes you, ya know."

"Yeah, I know."

\------------------------

"Guys! I got a text!"

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 #𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚐𝚘 #𝙼𝚛𝙻𝙸

Veronica saw Bobby coming out of the big house with Lucas. She ran up to him. He looked like something was on his mind.

"Feeling any better?"

He exchanged a glance with Lucas but quickly covered it up with a smile. "You know it! This guy is like a miracle worker! Bam! Goodbye migraine. Sorry I kept you waiting."

She knew he was hiding something but she decided not to push. He'd tell her when he was ready. She trusted him.

"No problem, Lottie and I were just having some girl talk. How was your call?"

"I'll tell you all about it after this mystery meeting. Sound good?" He took her hand and they walked over to the firepit.

"I wonder what's going on?" 

"In here? Who knows."

"I hope it's a dance off!"

"Bobby, there will not be a dance off!"

Everyone laughed. Someone got a text. It was Marisol. She read it outloud to the group.

𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍. 𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚅𝚞𝚕𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚍. #𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 #𝚗𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍

There was an eerie silence as the group processed the text.

"Ok, well I think the girls need some time to discuss this." Noah led the guys to the kitchen 

"This is horrible for us mates!" Gary had a frown on his face. "Obviously Noah and Bobby are safe but there's definitely danger ahead for the rest of us."

"You can't know that we're safe." 

"Noah, if you got voted least likely to have a girlfriend I'm pretty sure Hope would claw someone's face off."

The guys laughed

"Yeah, and then we'd see a screaming match that we haven't seen since the kissing challenge." 

The guys went quiet. Obviously they were talking about Veronica. Bobby fought off a smile. He really loved when his girl was firey. Even if it was towards him at the time.

"Guess we know one guy in trouble at least." Gary glared at Rocco 

"Not sure why there's such a hostile environment right now. Why would the ladies vote me least likely?"

Bobby rolled his eyes, "Oh, I don't know, maybe because you've been hitting on anything and everything that breathes? And apparently Marisol is your current flavor of the week."

"Bobby, I thought we had cleared the air between us? You need to meditate more. But I'm just enjoying my time here. Besides, Marisol said things between her and Gary were less than pleasant."

Gary's face was a bright red, "Either way, she's in a couple with me, it would be nice to know if I'm in trouble of being eliminated."

Ibrahim cleared his throat, "That's a bit ironic coming from you, considering you did the same thing to Hannah."

The guys stood in silence. Ibrahim wasn't wrong.

"He's got you there, man, it's pretty much the same."

Lucas changed the subject, "Well I'm pretty sure I'll be in danger but I'm ok with it. I've enjoyed my time here."

"I'm pretty sure there's at least two people over there that want you to stay." Bobby put a hand on his shoulder.

"Actually three."

They all turned to look at Noah.

"Got some competition Noah?" Bobby laughed and playfully poked him.

"No, not like that." He turned to face Lucas, "Hope's really impressed with how much you've helped Veronica and Bobby. She says you're the perfect gentleman."

"And super dreamy!" added Bobby who imitated fainting, which made everyone laugh.

"Hey stupid boys! Get over here! We need you!" the girls giggled 

Ibrahim looked confused, "Why are we stupid?"

"I think it's a song..."

"A song?!"

The guys slowly made their way back to the firepit, everyone except Bobby, he kind of skipped.

"Oh yeah! We having this Dance Off finally?!"

Bobby took Veronica's hand and twirled her on the spot. She looked so happy he wished he could take a screenshot and just live in this moment. Based on his video call he had a bad feeling about things. Though he prayed he was wrong.

"For crying out loud Bobby! There will be no Dance Off!" Marisol was really annoyed and had her arms crossed.

"Well, not with that attitude Marisol. You should live a little."

She turned away from the group.

"Got a text!"

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚜.....

Everyone waited for the text.

"The wait is killing me!"

Veronica looked over at Bobby, he seemed a little off since his call. Very over the top. Well, more than usual. Almost like he was trying really hard to make things seem better than they were. She put her hand in his, "You alright?" She squeezed his hand

"Yeah why?"

"You seem a little nervous."

Before he could answer Hope got a text, "Noah! It's Noah!" she kissed him and they took a seat.

Another text,

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚢𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚎....

Again, silence. Veronica's stomach was in knots.

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕.

There was a ding, "Finally!" sighed Priya, "Rocco......Ibrahim........and......" she gasped and looked up at the group, ".........Bobby?"


	8. Snake in the Villa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marisol is bitchy
> 
> Secrets revealed?
> 
> and Bobby's making muffins.
> 
> ***This Chapter has a flashback scene of domestic violence 🛑

All the Islanders were shocked. Bobby? Vulnerable of being dumped? It had to be wrong.

Veronica laughed a little, "Ok Priya. Ha Ha, you got us. Who does it really say?"

Priya looked really awkward, "Babe. It says Bobby."

"No, that has to be a mistake, right?" She looked at the group but no one would make eye contact with her. "Right???"

"I'm sorry Veronica. That's what it says."

Bobby wasn't shocked at all. His "Evil Producer" theory was looking pretty accurate. He was about to say something when all hell broke loose.

"Well I hope you're happy with yourself Marisol! How dare you betray the group! What do you have against Veronica?!" Lottie was over Marisol messing with her friend.

"Me?! You think I did this? I voted for Lucas!"

"Oh yeah, sure you did. If that was true then he would be the third person!" she glanced in his direction, "No offense Lucas." 

"It's ok, I understand your reasoning."

"Everyone say who you voted for. I voted for Rocco. Veronica?"

"Rocco....Hope?"

"Ibrahim. Priya?"

"Rocco."

"See? Plain as day."

Marisol was ready for battle and her sights were set on Veronica. "Explain to me why I would vote for Bobby!? I told you girls earlier that I like him. Removing the only guy in here that I see a future with would just be absurd!"

Everyone looked confused when she said that and they looked at Bobby who shook his head.

Hope was annoyed, "What are you talking about Marisol? You know that Bobby is not a choice for you or anyone else. He's with Veronica."

Marisol scoffed, "Oh yeah. Everyone defend Veronica. Perfect Veronica. She's been jumping around like a ping pong ball, first Bobby, then Rocco, then Lucas and now she's back to Bobby until a new guy comes in. If you ask me she's just a little slut."

Before she could finish the word Veronica launched herself at Marisol but Bobby caught her by the arm before she could get there. "Don't you ever call me that! Understand?! Why do you hate me so much? I didn't do anything to you!" 

"I have my reasons! You can't be friends with everyone. Some people just don't like you, shocking I know....Life's not a fairy tale, Veronica."

"You don't think I know that? I'm well aware of how messed up and ugly the world is. I'm living proof!"

Marisol rolled her eyes, "You know what they say, once a slut always a sl-"

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" Bobby wasn't going to let her continue bashing his girl. "Marisol, I'm not sure when your wires got crossed to make you think that there could ever be a future for me and you, but I can promise you, there isn't. Ok? It's not going to happen." He did not need this shit on top of what happened earlier. 

Veronica stayed quiet. Marisol didn't know about her past and she would not allow herself to blow up again. She wasn't worth it. "This is useless, I'm going to bed." Bobby followed her.

"That's probably a good idea for all of us." Noah knew this needed to end as quickly as possible he could literally hear Lottie sharpening her nails.

Lottie gave Marisol a death stare. "Dogs sleep outside, Babe." Lucas grabbed her arm and guided her away from the circle. When they made it to the living room he started laughing.

"What's so funny?!" she was still angry.

He was smiling, "Dogs sleep outside? Jesus! But I think the situation called for it." 

She smiled back, "Honestly I thought you wouldn't approve of me saying that."

"Why? You stuck up for our friends. I value loyalty and friendship." 

"Well, you are kind of reserved. So I just assumed you aren't a fan of outbursts like that. I like to have the last word."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah that is so."

"Right."

"Right." she laughed, "What are we doing?"

He leaned into her and whispered, "I'm going to bed." He kissed her cheek. As he walked away he called over his shoulder, "Night, Lottie."

"Yeah, Night." 

\-------------------------

In the bathroom things were not going the way Bobby had planned.

"Ugh! Can you believe her?! I mean, who says that? 'Once a slut always a slut'?! Screw her, I am not a slut!" Veronica shot a look at him, "Why aren't you more upset?" she pouted.

𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆.

He leaned back on the counter and crossed his arms, he had a feeling they were going to be here awhile. "Who says I'm not? Leaving the Villa without you is not something that's on my To Do list. But I really don't think she voted for me to leave. I don't even think she really likes me. She likes pushing your buttons. It's probably one of her weird observations."

"Wait. You're defending her? Seriously Bobby?"

"Hear me out. She's out there saying she likes me, right?" Veronica crossed her arms and looked away from him, "IF that's true then why would she vote for me to leave if she really thought she had a chance with me? Spoiler alert Ronnie, she wouldn't." 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘...

She sighed, "I guess that kind of makes sense. I'm sorry I looked like a psycho out there. I hate that word. He always.....you know what, it doesn't matter, I just need you in my corner. Even if I'm wrong. I've never had that before and I want it. I think I'm allowed to be a little selfish once in awhile, don't you?" 

He fought off a smile because he didn't want to make her any more annoyed but he loved when she was strong and confident.

"Well maybe you are psycho if you think I'm not in your corner." He walked up to her and put his hands on her hips, "I'm the guy cheering you on with the water bottle and the towel." she giggled, "and of course you are! But it's not selfish, it's called knowing your self worth and it's insanely attractive." He winked and went to kiss her but she turned her head.

"Oh no, we are not changing the subject. Plus, we need to talk about your call." she smiled at him.

𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒕. "Not even one kiss? I've been carrying your panties in my pocket all day even while talking to my Mother and I can't even get a kiss? That's just mean." he pretended to be sad.

"You're too cute." She leaned in until they were inches from touching. "How long can you go without kissing me?" 

As an answer he grabbed the back of her neck and crashed into her delicious lips. So fucking soft and needy. His tongue parted her lips and she moaned for more. Which he would gladly give her. He slowed the kiss down because he knew it drove her crazy and he loved a bit of crazy Veronica. She pulled away.

"Stop that! You know it drives me crazy." she bit her lip.

"Well good because every time you bite that damn lip or pout, it drives 𝒎𝒆 crazy and I really want to push you up against that wall right now."

"So what's stopping you?" she raised an eyebrow and licked her lips.

"Lip licking just got added to that list." He shoved her against the cool tiles of the shower and she immediately went for his belt. She pulled it off and he went back to kissing her. She put a finger to his lips and slowly pushed his pants down as she dropped to her knees. He could only stare as those sweet lips parted. He gritted his teeth,"Fuck." 

She took control of him and he thought that his knees were going to give out. He moaned. Her mouth felt amazing. He grabbed her hair and started thrusting into that beautiful mouth that drove him fucking insane. She was not backing off, "Shit...Veronica." She looked up at him and responded with a soft moan and that's what pushed him over the edge. 

She was a damn angel and he never wanted to be without her. She stood up and smirked. "You can keep the panties." Bobby pulled himself together while she adjusted her clothes and smoothed out her hair, "Join me?" she pointed to the balcony off of the dressing room.

He followed her outside and standing behind her he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad I found you."

She stood there in his arms and sighed, "I don't want you to go home."

He kissed her shoulder, and sighed, "We need to talk."

She sat down but he stayed standing. He looked really nervous, "I need to tell you something......this show, I'm pretty sure they're messing with me for some fucked up reason. I can handle it, but I'm worried about you."

She shot him an irritated look, "Bobby, I am not a porcelain doll. I can handle things. What do you mean they're messing with you?"

"My prize was a video call. It was my parents and then my best friend, Jonno. Then they had Cara on there." He looked at Veronica to see her reaction.

"Cara? You're Ex?"

"Yeah."

"Why? I don't get it, why would you put her on your list?"

"Babe, you know I wouldn't do that. They tried to say she reached out to them but obviously that's a damn lie. They did it on purpose."

She frowned, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I am now. I won't lie, I was furious at first. She said she missed me. Said she wanted to get back together."

"Is that what you want?"

"Hell no, I told her I was happy with you, but there is something I never told you before and I need you to know it now." 

"Ok..."

"The day I took those pills....well, the main reason I did it was because I was supposed to be getting married that day. To her. I lost so much and I felt like a fucking idiot. I just wanted the heartache of losing her to go away."

There was a long silence and then Veronica got up and hugged him tight, her heart ached for him, "You don't need to explain yourself. I'm sure the pain of that was unbearable. "

"You're not upset?"

"Why would I be? You loved her back then. That's not your fault."

He hugged her back and thanked the universe for every bad thing that had happened to lead him to her.

"Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for telling me."

He kissed her and she smiled at him but then the reality of tonight hit her again. She stepped away and hugged herself and looked out over the balcony.

"So, do you think the show decided you would be in the bottom three?"

"Yeah, I think they decided right after I told them off for contacting Cara."

She could feel a little bit of panic creeping up into her thoughts. Tears were stinging her eyes, "Bobby? If you leave, I'm leaving too."

He pulled her to him. "Let's not think like that, ok? How about we shift our focus back to happy? My Mom really likes you." 

That put a smile on her face, "Really?!"

"Oh yeah, she said you were lovely. Oh and Jonno said you were too nice to me and sometimes I need my ass kicked." 

Veronica laughed, "Really? Well I kind of agree," she giggled, "I think I was a little crazy tonight." 

"Just a little. But I find crazy, confident Veronica sexy as hell." 

\----------------------

Misty was pissed, mad, angry, upset and every other word in that category that you could think of.

"But why would anyone do that to him? Bobby was completely screwed over!" she was talking to Veronica's mom. They had started having weekly meetings to discuss the show. Tonight was over the phone.

"I have no clue dear. That poor boy. First Cara then in the bottom three? That Marisol better watch out, my daughter might seem timid from time to time but she's a fighter."

"Yeah no shit, She should have ripped that Bitch's head off!"

"Misty....."

"Sorry, Mrs. P. I just get protective of her you know?"

"You are a wonderful friend to her but you of all people should know that Veronica can handle tough situations. She had to do it for three years. Besides, she has Bobby, Lottie and Lucas in there to back her up."

Misty sighed, "Yeah I know, and I'm so happy about that. I really like Lottie, she doesn't back down. Anyway, that Cara is bitchy, huh?"

"Oh she's awful! Clearly she's unhappy with herself in a lot of ways. Plus, she's not as pretty as my daughter is."

Misty smiled, Veronica's mom was seriously the coolest, "Agree with you on that one hundred percent, Veronica is gorgeous. Seems like Bobby can't keep his hands off of her."

"Oh my, I know! Frank was very uncomfortable by those scenes!" she laughed, "I told him to calm down, our girl is in love."

"You think she loves him?"

"Oh it's obvious. Look how confident she's becoming and how fast she opened up to him. Love does that. Especially to someone who has had to guard their heart like both of them have. I hope one of them says it soon. I want grandkids. "

Misty burst out laughing. "Well, I better go Mrs. P. Talk next week?"

"Absolutely! Will you have to record it next week? I can wait to watch it with you. Oh and come over for dinner on Sunday! We're having Italian night."

"I'm not sure yet, I'll let you know and thanks, I'd love to."

\----------------------

"Someone check their damn phone please! We're trying to sleep!" 

Veronica's eyes fluttered open. She realized it was her phone making all the noise. She grabbed it and hit silent. "Sorry!" She whisper shouted to Henrik. He gave her a scowl and put the pillow over his head. She scooted back down under the covers to read the text.

Bobby instinctively rolled over and put his arm around her pulling her closer to him. He kissed her shoulder. "What's it say?"

"You're awake? You're eyes are still closed."

"I can close my eyes when I'm awake you know, I hold the World Record."

She laughed quietly, "Oh wow, I didn't know I was in the presence of such an important person. So sorry."

He opened one eye, "Apology accepted under one condition." 

She fought off a smile, "Oh yeah?"

"Yep." He pulled her into his arms and cuddled her, "cuddles."

"I need to check this text."

"Well hurry up Ronnie! You're taking forever."

𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊, 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙱𝚘𝚋𝚋𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝙷𝚞𝚝. 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚀&𝙰 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎! #𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑 #𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚞𝚙

Bobby groaned, "Questions about what?" He was still irritated with that producer. Teresa? Tammy? It didn't even matter.

"It doesn't say, but I'm sure it's probably about you being in the bottom three. They did the same thing to me when Priya stole you from me."

They got up as quiet as they could and got dressed. When they got to the tiny room, Veronica cuddled into Bobby in the big chair.

"Let's do this."

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗼𝗯𝗯𝘆. 𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘂𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿!

Veronica had read it outloud which Bobby was grateful for because his eyes were still half asleep.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕? "You know what? It's fine. Thank you for the apology. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂! 𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀! 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲?

"Well it's definitely not ideal. I mean look at this beautiful person," he motioned at Veronica, "I really don't want to go home without her." He took her hand into his and kissed it. 

She looked into the camera, "If he goes home because of this, then so am I"

𝗦𝗼 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰! 𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗯𝗯𝘆! 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮?

Veronica crossed her arms and was instantly in a bad mood. "That's obvious. Marisol. She's completely out of order!"

Bobby turned towards her, "Really? I thought you two were getting along?!"

She glared at him

"I'm kidding Ronnie!" he pinched her cheek, "Definitely agree though. I hope she gets over this act she's putting on pretending there could ever be something between me and her. I've barely spoken to her."

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗲 0 𝘁𝗼 10 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁?

They spoke at the same time.

"10!"  
"10."

They both laughed and kissed.

\---------------------

Veronica joined Priya, Lottie, Ibrahim and Gary by the pool. They were all talking about Marisol.

"I mean it's weird right? All of a sudden she likes Bobby? Do they even talk?" Priya was trying to wrap her brain around what Marisol had said yesterday.

"I've never seen them together."

"Me either."

Ibrahim shook his head, "I only really see him with Veronica or baking in the kitchen."

"She's just trying to start drama. Look," Veronica pointed over her shoulder, "She's all over Rocco again." 

They looked over at the sun loungers and Veronica was right. Marisol was cuddled up next to Rocco.

"Well, I'm glad she's flirting with Rocco and not Bobby, I'm over him. I need a man not a child." Lottie quickly glanced over to the pool where Lucas and Henrik were talking. Veronica noticed it. 𝑯𝒎𝒎, 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓.

"Someone should go over there and see what she's up to." Gary was irritated that he was in possible danger of going home at the next recoupling.

"I'd rather scratch my eyes out." Everyone nodded in agreement.

\-------------------

Marisol was bored. She expected drama when she came here and all that's really happened is Lucas and Lottie running around playing matchmaker while pretending they don't fancy each other.

Then there was Bobby. She didn't actually like him, she just said that to piss the girls off, plus he was with Veronica and she hated girls like her. Perfect hair, perfect smile, perfect life. They got what they wanted when they wanted it. Well not this time. 

"One day I hope we can ride the wave of life together outside these walls."

She rolled her eyes. Rocco was ok in bed but he was so annoying. The hippie madness never stopped. She heard the timer buzz on the oven where Bobby was taking something out that smelled like Heaven.

"I'm getting a drink Rocco." she got up before he could answer and headed to the kitchen.

When she got there she took a seat at the bar. He hadn't noticed her yet because he was mixing something by hand.

"What are you making?"

He jumped and grabbed his chest. "Shit Marisol! You scared me. Don't ever sneak up on someone in the kitchen especially with a hot oven. It's like the first rule of the kitchen, ok? But, I'm making blueberry muffins and chocolate chip muffins. Figured it would be nice to have some made up in case I end up going home."

"So you think you will?"

"Well I mean two out of three aren't very good odds."

"Guess you're right. If you do go home, at least it'll make it easier on Veronica when she moves on to Lucas huh?"

He stopped what he was doing and sighed, "What is your problem with her?"

"My problem is she dug her hooks into you on Day 1 and none of us got to know you. Plus she's tried it on with almost every guy in here."

"Wow. Ok. Well, I'm not sure if you suffered a brain injury since that first day, but she chose Noah at first. She got me as a last resort. She has no reason to pretend to like me. And as for being with other people, that's completely untrue and you know it." 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒛𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒏𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌.

"What about the night you told me not to tell anyone you kissed her? And you think that kiss between her and Lucas didn't mean anything?" 

He thought about what to say, she was digging for information. He knew she didn't really like him but he needed her to admit it so this drama would be put to rest. Suddenly he got an idea, "Ok, fine. There's no fooling you. That night, I said that to you because, well because that's the night we made the pact." he lowered his voice, "You know, to win the money? We make it to the end and I get 10,000 she gets the rest."

She looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

"I knew it! I knew she was just using you. Why are you allowing this Bobby? I'm telling everyone."

"What?! I told you because I thought we could get together. Now that you know the truth. You said you saw a future for us."

"Wait, what?" he was inching closer to her. 

"Don't you like me? This could be our last night to be together."

"I'm sure you're a nice person Bobby but you're not my type." 𝑮𝒐𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒂

Bobby was enjoying this. He knew Veronica would be thrilled with this information. He was. No more Marisol drama.

Just then Veronica walked over to him and kissed him on his cheek. He made a show of checking her out. "Hey hottie, you're looking sweet in that little number." He grabbed her and kissed her way too over the top. He pulled back and winked at her. She knew he was up to something.

"What's up you two?" she leaned against the counter 

He shrugged his shoulders, "Oh we were just talking...."

"Bobby, you need to be honest with her, she can handle it." Marisol smirked at Veronica, "He told me everything."

"What do you mean, everything?" Veronica couldn't wait to hear this.

"About the pact. To win the money. I'm letting everyone in here know about it. Your strategy is over. You're not going to be the favorite anymore, pack your bags Veronica. You'll be leaving soon."

"Wait. I'm confused. I thought this whole thing with you hating me was because you liked Bobby? You said you saw a future with him." 

"Please," she rolled her eyes, "Does he seem like my type? I need a man." Bobby yelled hey and made Veronica smile, "Plus, I would never want your sloppy seconds."

Veronica burst out laughing. Full on, might pee your pants, laughing. Bobby joined her. Soon they were laughing so hard tears were streaming down their faces.

Marisol looked out of place, some of the others made their way to the kitchen to see what was so funny.

"Uhhhh hey guys, what's the joke?"

Veronica tried to speak but she couldn't get the words out without laughing even more.

"Apparently they think it's hilarious that they've been fooling you all."

"What lies are you spewing now Marisol?" Lottie was so over this girl.

"These two made a pact that they would couple up and he would get 10,000 and she'll get the rest." Marisol was smiling, she was pretty proud of herself for uncovering the truth.

Lucas thought this was hilarious, "And you believe that?"

Finally, Veronica had calmed down enough to speak. "Marisol, you're so insane. Bobby was just messing with you to find out for sure if you're a snake, which you are. You're like the Queen and Rocco's your King."

"Yep, I can see it now Ronnie, Hashtag Fake, Hashtag Team Snake." He put an arm around her shoulders.

Everyone laughed. Marisol stormed off. Probably to go back to her snake hole with Rocco. 

Lottie called after her, "It's just a joke! Chill!"

Everyone else grabbed some of Bobby's muffins and headed off to different areas of the Villa. Some were still laughing.

Veronica jumped up and sat down on the counter swinging her legs, "Thank you, I feel so much better that I don't have that in the back of my mind anymore."

"Glad I could help." He planted himself between her legs and kissed her.

Gary walked up into the kitchen looking around.

"Bobby. Did you make muffins?"

"Yeah Gary, blueberry and chocolate chip."

"Yes! My Nan always makes banana nut muffins but you can't beat a good blueberry muffin."

They laughed. "Gary, don't ever change."

"You guys seen Marisol?"

They laughed again.

\-------------------

Veronica wanted to talk to Lottie because she hadn't seen her since that morning. She looked around and found her sitting by herself picking at a leftover blueberry muffin.

"You know, it's better to just eat it."

Lottie looked up, she had a sad look to her.

"Are you ok? What's wrong?"

"I'm starting to like someone in here."

"Lottie that's great! I'm happy for you."

"But we're so different. Me and this guy. Like complete opposites in a way."

Veronica giggled at her friend being ridiculous, "You and Lucas aren't 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 different."

Lottie looked at her wide eyed and whispered, "How did you know?"

"Hun, it doesn't take a genius to notice how you two look at each other. Plus, in some cases opposites attract."

"Maybe I should just concentrate on someone who does like me, Gary has been talking to me about coupling up."

Veronica gave her a look, "Gary? Really? Sorry, but I don't see that."

"Well then what should I do?"

"Just keep getting to know Lucas. It can't hurt. If he likes you, you owe it to yourself to see where it could go."

"Thanks. You're right. I'll do that."

\--------------------

"Guys! I got a text!"

Veronica had been enjoying an afternoon nap cuddled up to Bobby in the Daybeds. 

"Ugh, I hate the timing of those texts."

"Right? They never happen in the middle of drama happening but a good nap? Send it!"

"Let's go see what it says."

Rocco was already reading it when they joined the group.

"Mean Tweets? What does that mean?"

"I think it means not everyone loves us."

"Well they can't all be about Marisol can they? That will be an easy challenge at least."

"Shut it Lottie."

Lottie twirled a piece of hair between her fingers, "Oh, didn't see you there."

Bobby was thrilled. They ran over to the challenge area in slow motion. Ibrahim was struggling. He looked like he was doing a fast version of The Robot.

"Loosen up Rahim! Don't overthink it! Let your inner Diva out! I'm Cardi B!"

Veronica burst out laughing, "Cardi B? Really!?"

"Hey now," he snapped his fingers and pointed at her, "I run this shit like cardio." 

Once they finally arrived they got another text. Since they were single, Lucas and Henrik were teamed up. Lottie and Rocco were the hosts. Bobby picked up their chalk board and drew a heart. Veronica drew a smiley face. Lottie looked over at them.

"Get a room you two." she grinned at Veronica. "Ok, first tweet..."

For mean tweets they weren't too bad. One said Ibrahim was too closed off, another one said Marisol deserved better, from who it didn't say. Then a weird one came up.

@𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝙽𝚘1𝙵𝚊𝚗  
𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚠, _______ 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚜 ________ 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠. 𝙽𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛.

"Hmmm, interesting. Who is keeping this a secret?" Lottie looked around at everyone.

Veronica turned to Bobby, "I have no clue who it could be....maybe Lucas and Henrik? They have been pretty close since they came in here."

"It's the only one that really makes sense. Unless, it could be Lottie and Marisol?" They both snorted. 

"Oh Yeah, they're total bff goals." she said sarcastically, she paused, "I'm writing Henrik and Lucas.

No one seemed to know the answer. All the answers written down were different.

"Ok, let's see who's correct!" Rocco pulled back the tape.

Veronica saw Lucas's name was first but she wasn't expecting the second name. It was hers.

She looked over at Lucas, he seemed irritated.

"That's crazy. How would I know him?"

"So it's not true?" Priya seemed like she wasn't sure.

"Of course not. Tell them." she looked at Lucas

"It's just someone's opinion on Twitter. Doesn't mean it's true."

Marisol looked pleased, "Lies catching up to you Veronica?"

"Marisol, crawl back into your hole."

"Hey! This is supposed to he fun. So what if they do know each other? I'm not bothered. He's a good friend." Bobby thought it was weird she wouldn't tell him something like that but it's not like he had told her everything straight away either, besides she said it wasn't true.

"I swear I don't though."

"Let's just move on. No need for drama over a speculation." Noah always knew how to put the fire out.

"Ok, next one!"

The next few were random ones about the drama with Marisol and one about Bobby being a player which he was impressed with.

"Last one you guys!" Lottie held it up and the wind blew it out of her hand. It landed at Lucas's feet.

He bent down to pick it up and read it while doing so. His eyes snapped to Bobby. "Why don't we call it a day? Anyone else suddenly really tired?" He faked a yawn.

"Aww come on man! I'm pretty sure we're winning, it's just one more." Henrik went to grab it but Lucas pulled it away.

Bobby was worried. What could be on the card? He had told Veronica everything but the others didn't know much at all.

Rocco took the card from him, "Chill man. It's just some innocent fun. Calm your mind."

He read the tweet:

@𝙱𝚒𝚐𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚟69  
𝙸𝚏 𝙸 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 ________ 𝙸'𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍. ________'𝚜 𝙴𝚡 𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚔𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐! 

"Oh wow....that's uhhh....intense."

Obviously Veronica knew it was about her and Bobby. She didn't want to write their names down though.

"What should we do?" she whispered to him.

"I'm not sure. Maybe if we put our names they'll at least know I didn't keep it from you?"

That was a fair point. She didn't want anyone blaming him for hiding something. She wrote their names.

"What?! Bobby you were engaged?"

"Yeah Hope, Veronica knows about it."

"But she kept the ring."

"So?"

"So that means she called it off, not you."

"Yeah that's right...."

"What did you do for her to call it off?"

"Wait, why am I the one to blame?"

"Girls don't just cancel their weddings. You must have messed up." she gasped, "Did you cheat on her?!"

Veronica was annoyed, "Bobby doesn't have to explain anything. Who cares what happened. Maybe she was just a bitch, ever think of that?"

"Well yeah but she KEPT the ring. A real bitch would have sold it or maybe even thrown it at him. But not keep it."

"Well it doesn't matter because I have no desire to be with her again. EVER."

"Says she's prettier than Veronica too. What a shame..." Marisol wanted to remind them all of that detail.

"Shut it! Veronica is gorgeous! Everyone knows that. Inside and out."

"Are you ok babe?" Lottie was staring at her. 

Tears were forming and she couldn't stop them. She was getting upset over the dumbest thing. It wasn't even about the tweet. She saw the username that made the tweet. Travis. He always found a way to hit her even when she was out of his reach. He knew the line about her being prettier would sting. He always made comments about her looks. What she wore, how her hair was fixed. She had a flashback to when he was watching one of his many football games. She had made a big pot of chili and his mood had been better, she thought maybe things were improving. 

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘯. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 "𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺" 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘋𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥.

"𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘬?"

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨?"

"𝘜𝘩𝘩, 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴?!" 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧𝘧.

"𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦!"

"𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳?"

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘺. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳? 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺?"

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥, "𝘖𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦....."

"𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘵." 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘸𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪. 𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘦. "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?!"

"𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪."

"𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵! 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵?!"

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵.

"𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢! 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺!"

"𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥."

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦."𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥!"

"𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺.."

"𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘐 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶." 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦'𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘏𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵. 

𝘏𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘭𝘶𝘵!" 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩. "𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵." 𝘏𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮. "𝘌𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵!" 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸.

"𝘞𝘩...𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵?"

"𝘌𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪!" 

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵.

"𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶." 𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘸𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦. "𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦! 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵!" 

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, "𝘖𝘮𝘨 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢! 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮! 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢! 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢?"

"Veronica!!"

She was pulled out of the memory by Bobby shaking her. "Snap out of it. Are you ok?"

"Bobby?" 

"Yeah, I'm here."

Everyone was looking at her like she was nuts. "I'm sorry.....I need to go...lie down? Excuse me."

Before she could make it to the kitchen Bobby had caught up to her. He was out of breath.

"Are you ok?" 

"Yes, Sorry. Something about that tweet...." she shook her head, "Did you see who wrote the it?"

"You mean BigTrav69?" he rolled his eyes, "I thought that could be him. Bastard."

"It's my fault. I pissed him off right before coming on the show."

"Babe, it's not though. He has problems. His actions are his and his alone." He hated sounding like a self help book but using what he learned in therapy always helped him.

"I knew this would happen in here eventually. It always does. Maybe we should just...you know...call it..."

"Call what? Us? Excuse me...What did I say before? I'm not going anywhere. I will always be there for you. In your corner, on your team, whatever you need. You say the word and I'm there. No questions asked. Come on, I'll make you a cupcake." 

"With sprinkles?"

He put his arm around her shoulders and led her towards the kitchen. "Of course with sprinkles!" He knew the dumping was tonight. Noah got the text right after she ran off. He hoped sprinkles were enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to post this now because not sure when the next chapter will be out. I'm struggling with a development decision coming up. Once I make a decision it will be here asap. ✌
> 
> Love your comments and hope you love reading this story as much as I love writing it. 😁


	9. What a Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marisol, girl what are you doing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Reader: riversandroads01
> 
> Thanks to my Beta Reader for bouncing ideas around with me ❤

Everyone was standing around the firepit waiting on the results. Lucas kept looking at Veronica. She looked a lot better than earlier but he needed to talk to her and he knew it wouldn't go over well. That damn challenge. He understood that eventually his motives would be questioned, most thinking he wanted her for himself but he didn't think anyone would touch the surface of the actual truth. He had weighed the outcome multiple times. It was best to tell her. 

Lottie leaned over, "You worried about Bobby?"

"Yeah, he doesn't deserve to go. If it's solely up to a public vote then he'll be fine but if his theory is correct, he could get dumped."

Lottie nodded, Lucas had filled her in on what happened in the video call and afterwards. She felt bad for him. Cara sounded horrible.

Bobby was standing in between Rocco and Ibrahim. He caught Veronica's gaze, she crossed her eyes and puffed out her cheeks at him. He laughed.

"I got a text." 

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚐𝚞𝚢𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝.

This was the quietest the firepit had ever been. Bobby didn't even have anything to say.

Noah's phone dinged

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚐𝚞𝚢𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎....

𝚁𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚘.....

𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚑𝚒𝚖.....

Veronica gasped. Gary broke the silence, "Tough luck mates." He hugged them.

Bobby put his hands in his pockets. He felt really out of place. "Sorry guys, no matter how this turned out it was going to suck. Rahim, you're a great guy and I wish we could have talked more. Rocco, well, I never really understood your theories but I hope you find that moth you were looking for." Everyone laughed.

"Thank you Bobby, I really appreciate that. I hope we all find the moths that will meet our flames of desire, and even though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night, I can see paradise by the dashboard light." He raised his hand and waved then turned and left.

"Umm, ok? He's just going to leave like that? Also, I'm pretty sure the last part is from a Meatloaf song."

Veronica giggled, "Hashtag Deep."

"Don't you want to tell him goodbye Marisol?" Hope genuinely felt bad for her. If she really had liked him she should talk to him.

"Why? It's not like it matters now anyway." she stormed off 

"She's always storming off. It's so annoying." Priya turned to Ibrahim, "I'll miss you babe," she hugged him.

"I'll miss all of you. I loved listening to all your stories. I'll see you guys on TV I guess."

They all moved in and hugged him. "I'll help you pack." Priya winked at him.

Bobby walked up to Veronica and hugged her. "That was rough." 

"I'm glad it went our way and I'm also really glad Rocco's gone. Is that mean of me?"

"No. He needed to leave." 

"Were you nervous? About the vote?"

"I was nervous my time with you might have been over. I kind of like you."

"Oh, do you? I wasn't too sure..." she smiled at him and they walked towards the bedroom laughing about Rocco's speech. 

Lucas was standing off to the side struggling with the idea of telling her his truth tonight. He walked up to her, "Hey Veronica, could I have a word?" 

"Oh, sure. Is everything ok?"

"Yeah things are fine. Just thought we could discuss some things. If Bobby doesn't mind that is."

"Just have her home by midnight." He winked at her and kissed her hand.

"You know it."

Veronica sat down with him in the kitchen. She yawned. "Oh I'm sorry. Long day huh?"

"Yeah, you could say that." He started drumming his fingers on the table, "I'm not usually lost for words but I really don't know how to say this."

Veronica smiled, "Is this about Lottie?"

"Lottie? No....it's not.....why would it be about her?"

"Seriously? It's obvious you like her. I think it's great."

He sighed, she looked so happy, damn it, he couldn't tell her, at least not tonight, "Ok, you got me. This is about Lottie. I think she's great but I'm honestly lost when it comes to this. Could you talk to her for me?"

"Absolutely! I'm so excited for you!" she hugged him

"Thank you, I really appreciate that. Now go on back to Bobby, I'm sure he's missing you."

\-------------------

As Veronica walked into the bedroom she heard Hope say she had a text.

"Oh my gosh!! There's a recoupling tomorrow!! Ladies choice!!"

"Oh, ladies choice guys, better be on your best behavior." Priya was eyeing Henrik.

Veronica saw Lottie glance towards Lucas. She motioned for her to come to the bathroom. When they were sure no one was around they started to strategize. 

"Are you really set on Lucas?"

"Yes, There's just something about him. I know that's so weird."

"Lottie, he just told me he thinks you're great! You have to pick him!"

"Really?"

"Yes, he asked me to talk to you for him. Ahh, I'm so excited for you!" she hugged her.

"I'm so glad Bobby didn't leave tonight. You two deserve more time. That Cara sounds like a snake."

"Ugh I know. She's heartless. I hope we can just let go of our pasts and focus on the now." Veronica broke into a grin, "So, you're going to pick Lucas and I'll pick Bobby, this is going to be so great! We can have little double dates and everything!" 

Lottie laughed at her excitement. "Oh yeah, Double Dates on the bean bags, what a dream come true!"

There was a slow clap coming from the door. They turned towards the noise.

"What are you doing Marisol?" Lottie rolled her eyes.

"Just giving you a round of applause for your little show you put on today. I have no idea what these guys see in you two."

"Cut the act, Marisol. We know you don't like Bobby, you just like drama apparently. So don't come in here pretending like you can steal someone's man."

She laughed, "That's where you underestimate me, 𝑹𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒆. Truth is, at a ladies choice recoupling I can choose whoever I want depending on the order. You better hope you both pick before me tomorrow. Otherwise, one of you will be disappointed." She glared at them.

Veronica was a little unnerved. Her face fell. "Would you really do something that awful? I know we don't see eye to eye but seriously? What about Henrik? He's nice...."

"You've both made me look like an idiot in here. So yes, I would really do that." and with that she walked into the bedroom.

Lottie looked at Veronica, "She's bluffing. Don't get upset about it. No one is that cruel."

Veronica nodded but she knew that some people really were that cruel.

\------------------

"So, ladies choice.....hope I've caught someone's eye." Bobby smirked at her

"Oh shut it," she giggled and threw her pillow at him. They both laughed and she slipped into his arms safe and warm. 

"You know, Reggie will be so jealous of this." 

Bobby burst out laughing, "Your cat?! Well darn, I am so sorry." He looked at a camera in the corner, "Hey Reggie, sorry mate, it's nothing personal. Just enjoy a nice cold fish and relax. She'll be home soon." he turned back to her and whispered in her ear, "with me."

Veronica didn't know how he could be the perfect mixture of funny and sweet. Most funny guys she met were too much, never knowing when to stop. But then the sweet guys never understood her randomness and humor. But somehow he balanced them effortlessly. At least for her. She hugged him and breathed him in. He still smelled like a manly sugar cookie. "Swoony as ever I see. Guess I will pick you." 

"Yess, I knew I'd win you over."

\-----------------

Veronica woke up before the lights were turned on. She felt Bobby stroking her arm. She pulled the comforter over them and reached out for him. She felt him take her hand and scooted towards him. She stroked his cheek and kissed him.

"Well, good morning to you too."

"Shhhhh."

He slowly kissed her back taking her face into his hands. She loved the way he kissed her. It always made her want more of him.

He moved one hand to her breast and softly caressed it. He lightly twisted her hard nipple and a bolt of lightning shot through her. He lifted her top and flicked it with his tongue. She let out a gasp and his cock throbbed for her. Without a word he began to move lower. Kissing and nipping at her skin. Before he could go lower she stopped him, he looked up and she looked nervous, "Are you ok with this? We can stop."

The look in her eyes was something he wanted to see for the rest of his life. She smiled at him, "I'm more than ok, I need you Bobby. "

𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him like he's all she craved. He pulled away making her pout and quickly grabbed a condom from the bedside, he wasn't THAT guy. At last he gently buried himself into her and he knew no one else would ever compare.

He started moving, slowly at first but they quickly found their rhythm. He picked up his speed and she started moaning for him, "Ohh shit......yes!" His girl was not the quiet type and he loved that but he didn't want anyone else to hear them. He silenced her with a kiss. She pushed him away and raised an eyebrow at him and smiled, "Too loud for you?"

𝑯𝒐𝒕. 𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒏. 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍?

He pulled out of her and his cock twitched in his hand already missing her, he slammed it back into the slick folds he was becoming so fond of. She gasped and dug her nails into him.

He picked up her legs and placed them over his shoulders losing himself in her. "Fuck," he grit his teeth. She was so damn tight. He wanted to be gentle and sweet but he just needed her. Now. He started thrusting into her and every time she moaned he got closer to his own release. With one last thrust, she came undone saying his name and he quickly followed. He fell forward and he pulled her into him and buried his face into her shoulder. He sighed. He never wanted to leave this bed.

"That was....." she couldn't get the words out. She felt so happy and complete. 

He kissed her shoulder, "I know."

She smiled up at the ceiling. The others would be up soon but she was glad they had this moment to themselves. She propped up on her elbow twirling a piece of her hair.

"That was....nice."

Bobby raised an eyebrow, "Just nice?"

She laughed, "It was 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 nice."

He leaned back against the pillow and sighed, "Veronica, a cup of tea is nice, that was a damn religious experience!"

She burst out laughing the same time the lights turned on.

"Who the hell is laughing this early?!" Gary had woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

"Sorry Gary, Veronica has just been taking me to church over here." he saw her face and laughed. "Hey, wanna make some breakfast with me? For everybody?"

Her face lit up, "Sure!"

They got up and made their way to the kitchen. Bobby loved the kitchen here. It was always stocked with tons of great ingredients. 

"So. What are we making this morning?"

Veronica opened the fridge to see what they had. "We could make a huge fry up. Bet Gary would appreciate that."

"Sounds great."

She started to gather all the ingredients but she overestimated how much she could carry. "Oh shit, I'm so sorry. I'll clean it up." she expected disappointment but instead she heard laughing. 

"It's ok, I'll get it. It's just a few dropped eggs."

She was confused, "You're not angry?"

Now he was confused. "Over a mess in the kitchen? No. That's usually where messes happen most."

"But I should have made two trips. I should have thought it through."

"Huh. I didn't know the kitchen required that much thought." he noticed the look on her face so he decided to distract her, "Hey, have I ever told you one of my favorite stories?" she shook her head, "Well you need to know it now that we're together, it's on the exam at the end." He winked. "So this guy, he was a chef, he had a huge party at his house, I mean, we're talking like 500 guests." as he told his story he also cooked. He was completely in his element, "Anyway, he had chocolate cakes in the oven while he was out there chatting with everyone. He was really excited to have people eat his cake because, well cake is delicious right?! But when the cakes were served and the guests cut into them a gooey center flowed out. You see, somehow the oven temperature had dropped and the cakes weren't cooked all the way. Well, he was pretty upset but to his surprise everyone loved them, and that's how the chocolate lava cake was invented. It was just an accident. Cool huh?"

She smiled at how excited he got over the story, "Yeah, cool."

"Oh yum! You two made breakfast?" 

"Did we?" Bobby acted shocked, "Ronnie, where did all this come from?!"

"You're an odd one, Mate." Gary grabbed a plate and walked off.

\-----------------

"This is horrible." Gary was lifting some weights while talking to the guys.

"What do you mean? Need more weight?" Henrik was spotting him.

"No mate, I'm talking about the recoupling tonight."

"You're worried who might pick you?"

"Yeah, what if it's Marisol?"

"Honestly, it could be, sorry to say that. I just think most of the girls are pretty settled right now." Noah felt bad for Gary, he hadn't had much luck in here.

"What about Lottie? Or Priya? I don't think they're sure yet."

Lucas cleared his throat. "Yeah, Priya's a gorgeous girl. You should talk to her."

"I've actually been talking to Lottie. We kind of bonded over the whole Rocco and Marisol thing."

Bobby saw Lucas look a little defeated, he decided to say something, "Lottie? No offense man but I don't see it. Veronica and her and pretty close and I think she's looking somewhere else."

Lucas grinned, "Tough luck mate."

Gary's face went red, "Well what about you two?" He pointed at Lucas and Henrik. "Who do you think you'll end up with?"

"Honestly have no idea, really. But whoever it is I'm sure it'll be fine. All the girls in here are nice."

The guys looked at Henrik.

"What? They are."

"Have you even met Marisol? She's scary." Gary shivered.

"Maybe Henrik will calm the beast!" Everyone laughed.

\--------------------

"Ok ladies, I know there's been a bit of drama lately but we need to try and be civil with each other. I think a few of you owe each other an apology." Hope crossed her arms and looked at the group.

Veronica was shocked, "You have to be kidding. A few of us? I only know of one."

Hope shook her head, "It's always best if both sides apologize. That way the air is clear."

"I did nothing wrong, Hope. Marisol tried to act like she was going to steal Bobby from me. That hurt. Then last night she threatened both me and Lottie with picking our choices first during the recoupling tonight."

Hope looked shocked, "Marisol is that true?"

Everyone turned to look at her. "Maybe. Why does it matter? It's a girls choice. I have as much right to choose Bobby or anyone else in here. Something could happen between me and one of these guys. But I can never get the chance to find out."

"You took it upon yourself to find out with Rocco. " Lottie couldn't believe the lies that came out of this girls mouth.

"Huh. That actually makes sense. How will we know if something could be if we don't try?"

"Have I gone insane? You really believe that trash, Hope?"

Lottie put her hand up to silence everyone. "Ok Hope, that's fine. Then tonight I'm choosing Noah."

"WHAT?!"

"That's what you just said. We should be able to give anyone in here a try."

"I didn't mean Noah!"

"Oh no, heaven forbid someone take Noah from you! It's no different than Veronica and Bobby!"

"Guys..."

"Look, Lottie..."

"Guys..."

"Don't even...."

"GUYS!!!"

"What Priya!?" Hope was getting pissed.

"I got a text!"

𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚐𝚞𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎! #𝚏𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 #𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚖𝚎

Hope picked first, bet you can't believe who she chose!!! Noah. It was Noah.

Then Priya picked Henrik, Veronica's phone dinged 

"My turn!" she was beaming, "I choose Bobby."

Bobby grabbed her hand and kissed her cheek. "Thanks beautiful."

They walked out the door together and got into a black SUV that took them to the same Vineyard where she had her date with Lucas. This date was so much better already though because it was with Bobby. They sat down at the table and he poured them some wine.

"This is technically our first date isn't it?"

She took a minute to think about it. "Hmm, I think you're right. We had brunch together but we were dumb back then and we were ' just friends'"

He grinned, "Completely bonkers."

"I'm glad we aren't still 'just friends' aren't you?"

"Are you kidding? Have you met yourself? You're definitely my favorite person ever." he winked at her and popped a grape in his mouth. "So, it's been over two years since I've been on a date. I have no clue what to talk about..."

She laughed, "I'm so glad you said that because I was thinking the same! It's weird because this doesn't feel like us. This date I mean. Too formal. Plus I haven't been on a real date since 12th grade prom." Her smile faded a little bit.

Bobby's heart ached for her, who wouldn't want to take her out and see her smile, "Hey, I have an idea, let's discuss our perfect date." he leaned forward and used the wine bottle as a microphone, "Hey beautiful, Bobby McKenzie with the nightly news, we're asking all the beautiful ladies today what their perfect date is, and possibly your phone number, for science!" he stuck his finger in the air, "So, perfect date. Go." He leaned the wine bottle towards her.

She grabbed it and giggled, "Well this is exciting! I've never been on TV before! Hi Mom! Hi Dad!" she waved to the actual Love Island camera, Bobby laughed, "Ok so my perfect date....let's see....I've always wanted to go into a museum and just scream. Like, really loud." she giggled again, "but that's silly and not really a date I guess...hmmm, oh I know! My perfect date would be.........with you. Wherever we'll be it'll be perfect because of you."

Bobby was not prepared for that. She was always surprising him in different ways. She might be the one person on Earth that could keep him guessing. He reached for her hand across the table. "That's amazing, I love that."

"What about you? What's your perfect date?"

"Well, how do I top that?" He leaned back in his chair, "I won't even try to top it because yours was the best answer possible but I've always thought it would be fun to go to one of those indoor trampoline parks."he smiled at her, "It would be you and me obviously, and we'd jump on every trampoline at least twice. Then I'd buy you a soft pretzel with a side of cheese sauce but you'd keep getting the cheese on your mouth which would drive me crazy and we'd find a closet so I could help you remove it."he winked. "Then, there would be an arcade off to the side and I would win you enough tickets to get the biggest stuffed animal they have, or whatever prize you'd want, but not those little erasers. Who even likes those??" He stopped and caught her watching him with an amused look on her face, he cleared his throat, "Anyway, then we'd go home and bake cupcakes with sprinkles and we wouldn't clean up the kitchen until the morning because messes are ok."

"That really does sound perfect. I love it." she got up and walked over to him, she sat on his lap. "You're so different than anyone I've ever met. I think you're my soul twin."

"Soul twin? What's that?"

"Well according to Lottie, it's the correct term for soulmates."

He pulled her mouth down to his and kissed her. She sighed into the kiss. She nibbled on his bottom lip and he pulled away, "Veronica, you have to stop that. I can't control myself when you do or say irresistible things with that mouth. It's not fair." she smiled as she nibbled her way down his neck. 

"I can't help how attracted I am to you."

He sighed, "I knew it, you're only interested in my body. Typical." 

They both laughed.

"As far as first dates go, this was wonderful."

"The best."

\----------------

When they arrived back to the Villa Hope and Priya were chatting by the pool. 𝑳𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆. Bobby went to try and recreate the bread they had on their date and Veronica walked over to the girls.

"Hey, how were your dates?"

"Well Noah was such a gentleman! We had a picnic on the beach!" Hope looked extremely happy.

"Henrik and I also had a picnic! He's actually really funny. I'm thinking of picking him tonight."

"That's great! Bobby and I had our date in the Vineyard. We had a wonderful time. "

"Honestly I'm really interested to hear about Lottie and Marisol's dates. Marisol and Gary probably had an awkward time."

"Yeah can you imagine? I hope they both find people they really like in here. Make it easier for the rest of us." Priya rolled her eyes.

They turned their attention to the kitchen were they heard Lottie rummaging around the fridge.

"What are you looking for Lottie? Want a cup tea?" Bobby could tell something was off.

She flipped her hair back, "No thanks. I need to talk to the girls. Thanks though."

Bobby went back to working out the ingredients for the bread. He loved a good recipe but figuring out how something was made just by taste was one of his favorite things.

"Bread?"

He looked up to see Gary.

"Yeah, trying to make the kind we had on our date. How'd you know?"

"My Nan bakes bread all the time. Refuses to buy it in the store. I used to help her in the summers."

"I think I'd like your Nan. So, how was your date? Was it weird with Marisol?"

Gary gave him a confused look, "I went with Lottie. Marisol picked Lucas."

Bobby looked over to the group of girls, "This is not good."

\------------------

"Wait, what?!"

"Yeah, Marisol picked Lucas. But I guess 𝑰 should apologize, right Hope?" she shot a look towards her

"I didn't realize she would deliberately try to do something like this."

"Ok, let's calm down. I'm sure Lucas didn't have a good time. Especially since her strategy seems to be putting us down. He wouldn't let her do that to you." Veronica hugged her friend.

"I don't know, he's educated and so is she. They kind of make sense together."

Veronica glared at Hope, "You're not helping."

"Hey girls! Everyone have a great time?"

Marisol was back and she looked like she was in a great mood.

"Hey girl, we were just discussing the dates. How did yours go?" Priya was trying to stay neutral in this situation. She'd choose a side soon.

"Oh it was lovely. Lucas is very different than I originally thought. He said I was a sweetheart." she smiled and turned to Lottie, "How was yours? Any sparks fly?"

"Leave her alone. You know she didn't want to go with Gary." Veronica was going to protect her friend and fight this bitch if she had to.

"Oh really?" she acted surprised, "I had no idea." she looked towards the kitchen and waved at Lucas. He hesitated but waved back. "Talk to you girls later."

\---------------

The guys were asking Lucas about his date.

"So, what did you two even talk about?"

"I was asking questions but she kept directing the conversation towards the girls in a negative way. For example, I said that I really loved what I do and she said something like, 'At least you do something important unlike Lottie.' It was really fucking weird."

"Sounds like it."

"Yeah, It got old really quick so I finally just asked her why she hated the girls so much. She told me that she didn't hate them but they were 'bitches that deserved to be knocked down a few pegs.' I laughed and said, 'well aren't you a sweetheart.' but I think she took it as a compliment. She's a bit odd."

"Mate, she's looking over here."

Lucas looked over at her and she waved at him. He hesitated and gave a little wave back. 

"That was weird, right?" Gary had stopped eating his sandwich, "I'm getting indigestion from all this."

The clicking of heels made them all look up. 

"Hey boys." Marisol was smiling at them.

"Good evening Marisol, having a good time?" Noah hoped she wouldn't really do anything in front of the girls, they were all watching 

"The best, thank you for asking." she walked over to Lucas and gave him an awkward side hug. "Thank you for being such a gentleman." She leaned in for a kiss, he stepped away quickly. 

"What are doing?!"

"A great date usually ends with a kiss." she grabbed his hand, "Don't you think?"

"Marisol! What are you doing?! Just stop this!" Veronica had walked up when she wasn't looking.

"I'd be careful Veronica. The recoupling is tonight. I haven't made my mind up yet." she narrowed her eyes at her as a challenge. 

Veronica wasn't going to play her games. 𝑩𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉. "Oh, you haven't come to the decision between Lucas or Bobby?!" Marisol looked pissed, "Oh I'm sorry, did I ruin the surprise? So sorry..." she rolled her eyes. Marisol was ridiculous. 

"Ok....I think this is getting out of hand." Henrik was trying to play peacemaker but he had no clue what he was dealing with.

"Henrik, go climb something and leave us alone. This is between me and Veronica."

Bobby whistled, "I'd stay out of it, man."

Veronica decided to reason with her. Lottie was in tears over at the pool and Marisol wasn't backing down. 

She took a deep breath. "Ok. Can we let this go? Lottie and I shouldn't have attacked you the way we did. I was really rude to you and I'm sorry. You just kind of came out of nowhere with everything and when I asked if you liked Bobby you went with it so I assumed you did. But I should have pulled you to the side and talked to you instead of just hating you. I know you haven't had much luck in here so far and that sucks but I really hope you find someone that makes you happy eventually, we all deserve that." Bobby kissed her on the cheek.

Marisol seemed a little shocked by the apology but she pulled herself together and stood her ground.

"Am I supposed to believe that? Stop trying to look good to the guys and the cameras." she turned to Bobby, "I'd hold out for your ex, you know, the 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚 one?"

"Fuck off Marisol!" Bobby had heard enough of this crap. Veronica even apologized and she was still giving her shit, "Veronica is gorgeous and at the end of the day 𝒔𝒉𝒆'𝒔 the one I choose to be with. End of." He pulled Veronica into his side.

"I'm going to take a shower." Marisol started to walk off but then turned around, "That's an open invitation." She winked at Lucas

\---------------

Lucas was pissed. He applied for this stupid show to find someone different than the girls his parents kept throwing at him. He didn't want some girl named Erica who ran a charity and played tennis on the weekends, and probably fucked her trainer on the weekends too. He wanted a girl like Lottie. Smart mouth, loyal, beautiful. Different. When he found out he was coming on the show later than the original Islanders he made sure to watch the first few episodes. 

That's when he saw Veronica and his motives changed. He almost didn't recognize her, she was a mess when he met her. He thought he was crazy, but when she told Bobby her story he knew he was right. He wanted to help her. They say in the medical field one case can change you and Veronica's had been his. But now that he had helped her and she was happy with Bobby didn't he deserve to find happiness too? 

But now he was wrapped up in this ridiculous drama with Marisol. She was obviously looking to make an example of the girls but he didn't understand why. He never understood people who loved being miserable. Which is probably why he distanced himself from his family as much as he did. They were probably hating the fact he was on the show but he didn't care. It was his life. Not theirs.

His phone dinged. 𝑭𝒖𝒄𝒌.

"Guys! I got a text!"

\-----------------

"Wait!! Don't send the text!!"

Rachel looked up from the monitor. The Islanders were gathered around the firepit for the next recoupling they were waiting to see who would pick first.

"Hunter? What's wrong?"

"Tonya changed the order of the recoupling."

Rachel rolled her eyes, of course she did. "Why? What's wrong with the current order?"

"This one is better." He held up the paper in his hand. He walked over and gave it to Cathy, she was running the show tonight.

Cathy looked at the list and then looked at Hunter, "Does she realize this could create a very big problem? Some of the girls are getting really agitated. I don't want to have to disqualify someone."

Rachel was really worried. She had a good idea what the change was.

"It's what she wants. She also said that she expects things to reach a boiling point and that NO ONE is to get disqualified until you talk to her."

"And what do I do if something happens?!"

"You stop it and get them in the beach hut as soon as possible. Then contact Tonya for further instructions."

"This is bullshit. I'm calling her." she picked up her cell phone and dialed Tonya, she picked up on the third ring, "Tonya. It's Cathy. Yes I got the list it's just......I get that but tensions are high right now......so if a fight happens we're supposed to let it slide?? Uh huh......"she scoffed, "seriously?!......ok fine.....I said ok....bye."

Cathy sighed and closed her eyes, "Rachel, get me some Tylenol." She grabbed her microphone, "We have a change, write this down......"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate writing for Tonya. She's literally in my head everytime something good happens and twists it. Bitch.


	10. It Hurts to Be Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The recoupling is here.
> 
> Our islanders experience kisses, bitch slaps and the painful truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Reader: riversandroads01, thank you for helping me with Marisol. She was difficult.
> 
> "Will you make it sound so pretty even when it's not?  
> Didn't choose but it's the only one we've got  
> And sometimes I get so tired  
> Of getting tied up in my thoughts  
> You're the only one that often makes it stop"
> 
> \- Hurts 2B Human - P!nk

Misty was catching up on the last two episodes with Veronica's parents. There was so much going on in these two episodes she felt exhausted for her friend. And this last one ended on a cliffhanger. That was new. Bobby and Veronica were so adorable together. Twitter was trending with their Hashtags, but the biggest thing that stuck out at her was the mean tweet challenge. She knew it was just an opinion of a fan but when the tweet about Lucas and Veronica came up Misty couldn't help but be confused. Lucas had looked irritated. He usually looked put together and at ease but that tweet bothered him. Then there was the tweet about Bobby. He took it like a Champ, she had to give him that. Veronica's mom pulled Misty from her thoughts.

"These episodes are extremely stressful, aren't they?"

"That's one word for them."

"What do you think Frank?" 

Veronica's dad hadn't said much during either episode. "I suppose that Bobby is a nice boy. I don't care for that Mary girl though."

"Mary girl? You mean Marisol? Oh that little snake better not mess with our girl's happiness." Mrs. P was not happy about that drama.

"If she does she better hope I never come in contact with her." Misty was hoping that Marisol left soon. She was worried that Veronica would attack her and possibly end up getting kicked from the show.

Frank chuckled, "That Lucas better watch out. She's got her claws hooked in him. Poor boy."

"Does anyone want more pie?"

Misty politely declined. She needed to get home and go to bed. 

\-------------------

𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜! 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. #𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎

"They moved it? Has that ever happened before?" 

"I don't think so." Priya was annoyed because she would be single for another day.

Veronica walked over to Lottie, "This is actually good for you! You have more time to talk to Lucas!" 

"Oh Veronica, what should I say?" 

"Tell him you like him."

"Just like that? It sounds scary."

"Lottie? Scared? Lucas is a sweetheart. Bobby and I were just talking on our date about how dumb we were as 'just friends" she shook her head, "just tell him. We don't have much time in here to say what we want. Now go!" she nudged her in his direction.

Lucas was talking to Henrik and Gary.

"This is proper brutal, another night in a couple with someone who is crazy." 

"Awww, come on Gary, it's only one more night. It'll be over faster than you can say, 'Bobby, help me make a sandwich.'" They laughed 

"Hey Lucas? Could we talk?" 

Lucas turned to see Lottie. She looked nervous, very unlike her.

"Of course. Let's go somewhere more private." He led her to the living room.

She turned to face him, "Ok. I'm just going to say it."

He waited........ and waited......

He smiled, "Are you going to say whatever it is, today? Or?"

She huffed, "I like you ok? And I'm absolutely pissed that you went on a date with Marisol!"

"I didn't choose to go with her. It was out of my control!"

"I know that...... She said you called her a sweetheart." Lottie frowned.

Lucas took her hand and led her to the couch, they sat down but he didn't let go of her, "That was taken the wrong way. I said it sarcastically and she's either not good at reading people or she did it deliberately to hurt you. I'm sorry she made you upset. I really like you Lottie and I had hoped to go on the date with you."

"Oh."

He laughed, "All I get is an 'Oh?"

"Oh, I mean, I don't know what to say....."

He liked that even though she came off so confident she had a shy side. He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. She kissed him back and it felt like a fire had been lit in his soul. All the other girls he usually kissed were sloppy or too eager. Not Lottie. 

"Wow." she was not expecting that.

"Wow is right." he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and kissed her again.

\-------------------

"Veronica, you look like a crazy stalker!" Bobby was whisper shouting to her.

"Shhh," she waved him off, "He's kissing her!"

"Wait, really?!" Bobby ran over to join her at the window and peeked inside. "Alright! Go Lucas and go Lottie!"

"They're so cute together! Suck it Marisol!"

Bobby laughed, "I bet she'd like to."

Veronica hit Bobby on the arm and giggled. "Bobby!"

"Let's give them some privacy." He was pretending his arm was sore, "That hurt Ronnie, I won't be able to hand mix batter for weeks. Gary might not make it." 

She laughed at him being dramatic, "Aww you poor thing. I'll be your sous chef and do all the mixing."

They made their way over to the Daybeds where Veronica laid on Bobby's chest just enjoying their time together. Off to their right, they saw Marisol talking to Henrik.

"Are you worried what she's going to do."

"Marisol?"

Veronica nodded.

"If she picks anyone other than Henrik, she's nuts. No one else really wants to deal with her."

"Does Henrik like her?"

Bobby hesitated, "I think he likes all the girls really. He said you were all nice."

"I just want to stay coupled up with you."

He ran a finger down her arm causing her to shiver, "Hey, no matter what happens, it's me and you. Ok? Even if we're not in a couple."

"I know, it's just, the thought of not cuddling you, sharing a bed, waking up next to you. It upsets me."

"Hey, don't think about that." he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

She smiled, "You know..... she was an idiot."

Bobby was confused, "Who?"

"Cara. Letting you go. She had no idea how good she had it."

He scoffed at that, "I don't think small gestures like this, "he lifted her hand in his, 'mattered to her. It was always about what 𝒔𝒉𝒆 wanted and unfortunately, I can be a bit of a pushover. Looking back at the whole situation, there were tons of signs."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one. When I proposed to her, she said, 'Sure, I guess it's time.' Then there was the time she told me that she had told her friends that I was an accountant because being a baker wasn't a real career." He looked so sad.

"What?! Fuck that bitch." she crossed her arms and looked irritated.

Bobby laughed, "Hey now, don't get pissed off. She's definitely not worth the energy."

"I know. But damn!" she looked up at the blue sky, a few seconds passed, "Hey Bobby?"

"Hmmm?"

"It's ok to talk about it, right? Our pasts?"

"I think if you feel like talking about it then you should. If you don't, then that's fine too."

"I like that. No pressure."

He studied her beautiful face. He knew she had more secrets and he was ok with that. She would tell him when she was ready, "yeah, no pressure at all."

\-------------------------

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮, 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗿?

"For the most part it's been great! There have been a few issues but I'm trying to not focus on that."

𝗜𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗯𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘆?

She frowned when she saw the question, "Of course. I'd also be really sad. Bobby and I have a connection that I've never shared before, with anyone. He's my best friend..... besides Misty of course." she laughed.

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹?

She felt tears sting her eyes, her parents and Misty weren't watching? They were her only support system outside of The Villa. "Um, wow. I just assumed they had been. I guess they don't have to watch it. It's just a silly reality show. Nothing major."

After the questions, Veronica made her way back to the lawn, she was lost in thought. Finding out that Misty and her parents weren't watching upset her more than she thought it would. They had all been so excited for her in the beginning. Did she do something wrong? No, that was silly. Maybe they were just busy and they hadn't caught up yet when the show spoke to them, that was probably it! That thought made her feel better. Unfortunately another Islander wasn't paying attention to their surroundings either and they were about to collide. Now.

"Oof!"  
"Watch it!"

She fell to the ground, "Oh, wow, I'm sorry. I need to start watching where I'm going." she looked up and Lucas was offering his hand to her. 

He was laughing, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine." she sighed, "I think this show likes to twist things."

He raised an eyebrow, "You're just now figuring that out? What happened now?" He knew she had just come from the beach hut, they all got a text to go there at specific times.

"Nothing horrible, they said that Misty and my parents haven't been watching."

"That's definitely not true. Misty was all over Twitter before I came in here. Remember I told you I think she created Hashtag Bonnie."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Hmm, why would they do that?"

"I think it's just to create doubt. It's easy for minds to wander in here."

"That's for sure." She squinted her eyes at him, "Something's different."

"What do you mean?"

"You seem..... better." She smiled, "It wouldn't have anything to do with a beautiful blonde would it?"

"Better? I wasn't good before?"

"You just seemed sidetracked before, like there was something on your mind, but you're avoiding the question."

He let out a sigh, "Lottie and I are good. Really good." 

She hugged him, "I'm so happy for you two."

He hugged her back but he was getting emotional. 𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒊𝒕! He closed his eyes to make the tears stop. If his Dad could see him now he'd be so embarrassed. A man never cried especially in public. You dealt with your problems in private with therapy or with your secretary bent over your desk. Not by showing emotion. God he hated that man. Finally, he was tear free and pulled away. He looked at his phone.

"Time for my interview." He made a face making Veronica laugh.

"Enjoy that.... I'm going to go find your girl." she winked at him and squeezed his arm.

He laughed, "I left her breathless somewhere over there." he pointed towards the lawn.

When he arrived at the beach hut he was nervous. He never knew what they would ask in this room.

𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘀! 𝗦𝗼 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁! 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲. 𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄?

"I actually really would." he let out a breath, might as well be honest. "Lottie is unlike any girl I've ever met. She's loud and opinionated but that's just because she's passionate about what she believes in. I really like that. She's one of those girls that when you find them, you don't twiddle your thumbs and hope something might happen. You make it happen. "

𝗪𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?

He rolled his eyes, "My Dad is probably pissed. My Mom, well she's probably torn between the two of us. Obviously she has a loyalty to him but I'm still her son so I'm sure that makes it difficult. It's always been like that between us though so..... she'll go with him in the end." He shrugged.

𝗦𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘂𝗽. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹?

"She's really outrageous. You can't even talk to her because she always has something to fight back with. I honestly hope she leaves soon"

There didn't seem to be any more questions left so he got up to leave. His phone dinged and he looked at it. Lottie had text him. Only one word.

𝚁𝚘𝚘𝚏?

He grinned and responded with a winky face. That made him laugh at himself. He didn't send emojis. Another text. It was a purple heart. Nevermind, he did send emojis, at least now.

\----------------------

When Veronica had found Lottie she was radiating happiness. She told her about how her and Lucas had kissed, a few times, and how happy she was.

"You can see how happy you are Babe, same with him." she hugged her

"He's just so sweet and nice. I never find the nice ones, just the asshats. I didn't know it could be so nice. Wow. I'm such a melt!" she laughed

"I can't wait for the recoupling! It's going to be so amazing!"

"About that.... you don't think she'll really.... you know...."

Veronica raised her eyebrow, "Do I think Marisol will pick Lucas?" Lottie nodded, "Actually, no I don't. She's trying so hard to be this mean girl but when I apologized to her, she seemed to let her guard down for a minute. I think she just feels like she's alone."

"Well she brought it on herself." Lottie huffed.

"I'm not saying she didn't, I just think there's more going on." 

What Veronica didn't tell her friend is that she saw a familiar pain behind Marisol's eyes in that moment and she felt bad for her.

"Hey beautiful," Bobby sat down beside her on the lounger, "I feel like I haven't seen you all day." He gave her a kiss, "Where's Lucas?"

"Oh he had to go answer questions." Veronica had been trying to forget about hers.

"Ugh, mine are in like 30 minutes. Have you had yours yet Lottie?"

"Yeah, I was second."

"What all did they ask you?"

"They asked who I wanted to pick tomorrow and about Marisol. Nothing major. What about you?"

Veronica didn't want to bring her questions up because it wasn't worth thinking about, "The same."

"Who did you ladies say you were picking?" Bobby was smiling 

"Well obviously I said Noah, gotta keep it spicy." Lottie winked at Veronica 

"Yeah and I said Henrik. He's like a sexy Viking." 

Bobby looked annoyed and pouted.

"Babe, we're kidding! You know I said you and you know she said Lucas. But I have to say, I'm starting to see why pouting is a turn on for you." she winked at him

"Pouting turns you on Bobby? That's cute."

"Basically anything my mouth does. He likes when I'm sassy and if I pout or bite my lip." She grinned at him.

The girls were giggling and Bobby was trying to stay annoyed and not smile. 

"Ok. Hey, I'm not embarrassed. I like what I like. But you should cool off Ronnie. It's hot out here."

"It's not that hot..."

He picked her up and ran for the pool, she laughed and screamed when they fell in. Lottie was happy for them. They were perfect together. She got her phone out and text him. She wanted that too.

\-----------------

It was Bobby's turn in the beach hut. He was still wet from jumping in the pool with Veronica. He looked at the monitor in front of him.

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝗯𝗯𝘆! 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴?

"No, Veronica will pick me."

𝗔 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁! 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮?

"I feel really good." he smiled, "She feels like my missing piece. When I'm around her it's like I'm with the sun. Everything's bright and warm. Damn, is that too melty? I sound like Rocco," he laughed, "You know what? It doesn't even matter. I care for Veronica more than I've ever cared for anyone. She said we were Soul Twins and I have to agree."

Bobby got up to leave when he got a text. He read it. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍?

He walked back to the lawn where everyone was chatting. He didn't want to announce this but he had no choice.

"Guys! I got a text and it's shit."

"What is it?"

"Don't keep us waiting mate!"

"We need to head to the firepit, it's time for the recoupling."

"What? They changed it again?"

"So it's today? Not tomorrow?"

"Looks like it."

Everyone gathered around the firepit. Girls sitting and boys standing. Veronica reached for Lottie's hand and gave her a reassuring smile. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆. She looked at Bobby. He and Lucas were discussing something. They both were smiling.

A phone dinged. It was Hope's. She chose Noah and they sat down. Priya was second, she ended up choosing Henrik. There were three boys left and three girls. Veronica rolled her eyes, no wonder they postponed it then did interviews then did it last minute. They obviously were deciding how to let this play out, but she was confident Marisol was bluffing based on what she had seen yesterday.

A phone dinged....... it was Veronica's. She stepped up in front of the guys.

"When I first met this guy he proposed to me." everyone laughed, "and I said yes, to friendship." she smiled at Bobby and he winked at her, "But somewhere along the way, we went from just friends to actually being together and I couldn't be happier. So the guy I'm going to couple up with is...... Bobby." 

Bobby broke into a huge grin and ran up to her. He grabbed her hand and kissed her up her entire arm making her laugh. "Thank you for saying yes." He kissed her. They sat down.

This was it. The last two. The silence seemed to last an eternity. Then a phone dinged.

It was Marisol's. Lottie glanced at Veronica. She took her hand.

Marisol stood up. She hesitated."This has worked out.... perfectly. This guy is more than I originally thought and I'm excited to get to know him more. In a proper couple. They guy I choose is.... Lucas."

There was a gasp and then Lottie spoke.

"Seriously?! I can't believe you!" Lottie walked over and slapped her across the face.

Marisol stood there in shock. She'd never been slapped before. She saw the hurt in Lottie's eyes. 𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎?Veronica tried to step in but she wasn't safe from Lottie's wrath either.

"And you Veronica! You told me she wouldn't do this!"

"Lottie, I didn't think she would! I really thought she had a change of heart!"

"Is this because you want him for yourself?!"

Veronica was super confused and pissed, she narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?! What the hell does that mean?!"

"I know there's something between you two! It's so obvious!"

"Uhhh girls?"

They both rounded on Hope.

"What?!"  
"What?!"

Hope was speechless for a minute, "We have to finish the recoupling."

Lottie scoffed, "Fine!" she turned to Gary, "I pick you I guess." and she stormed off with Lucas close behind.

"Damn it Marisol! What is wrong with you?! Are you blind? Why would you choose the one person she actually likes?? I just don't get where your fucking head is! It's obvious to everyone in here how they feel about each other except for you!" she shook her head, "For someone so educated you are extremely STUPID!"

Marisol rolled her eyes. "You can't control everything Veronica, even though you love to. I'm surprised Bobby doesn't have a damn leash on him."

Veronica didn't know what else to say to this girl. So she settled with raw honesty, "Apparently you've never experienced this and I'm sorry about that but sometimes we find someone and they understand all of our flaws and that's a rare, beautiful thing. That's how I feel about Bobby and that's how Lottie feels about Lucas."

She stopped to give Marisol a chance to speak but she got nothing. The girl had her arms crossed but looked embarrassed.

"Look, I know you see us as the enemy and you think we don't have issues but honey, I'm a walking mess." she laughed in frustration, "I apologized to you and you still acted like you didn't care. Are you really that much of a Bitch? Because I don't think you are. I think you have this massive wall up and before you start pointing the finger at us, you need to look in the damn mirror."

She actually looked.... sad?

Veronica softened her tone. "Can we go talk? Please?"

Marisol nodded. "We can go to the living room" it came out like a whisper. 

"Ok. I'll meet you there. I need to find Lottie." she looked afraid, "Just for her to listen, ok?"

Marisol walked off towards the living room. Veronica finally remembered everyone was still standing around her at the firepit looking at her. She glanced around the circle, "I gotta go." and she walked off.

Bobby spoke to break the silence, "Well, that could have gone better."

"Mate. That was horrible." 

Bobby put an arm around Gary's shoulders, "Come on man, let's go make you a sandwich."

\----------------

Veronica found Lottie where she usually found Lottie. On the roof, with Lucas.

"Are you really mad at me? Or just super duper pissed?"

Lottie had been crying but she stopped and looked at her friend. "Super duper pissed?" she laughed a little. "That sounds like something Bobby would say."

"Yeah, he's kind of rubbing off on me." she smiled, "please don't hate me. I really thought she was bluffing."

"Veronica, I'm not mad at you. I'm sorry I said that. I know there's nothing between you two. I'm just so hurt."

"I know. It was a really shitty thing for her to do. She's down stairs. We need to go see her."

Lottie stood up. "Oh hell no! I have nothing to say to her!"

"Well that's good, because you're just going to listen, come on." she stuck her hand out. Lottie looked at Lucas.

"You should at least see what she has to say. I'll be downstairs ok?" He kissed her hand and left.

"Well? We doing this?" 

Lottie blew her nose, "Ok fine."

The living room was quiet except for a few sniffles from Marisol. Veronica sat next to Marisol and Lottie sat at the end of the couch.

"Ok, this has gone on long enough. We need to sort it out. Marisol, do you want to say anything?"

She nodded but kept her head hanging down, "I know I've been acting like such a bitch and I'm sorry. To both of you." she blew her nose, "it's a bad excuse but the only reason I'm here is because I got cheated on two months before applying. He left me for this beautiful, fun, exciting girl." she looked up at Veronica. "A girl just like you. When I came here, that first day, I instantly hated you. I put all my hatred on you. It didn't help that you kept insisting that you and Bobby were only friends when it was clear you two had something. So I took that as meaning you were just running around to all the guys." she looked at Lottie. "Then you started to defend her so I decided to hate you too. I just want to be done with all this. It's been really hard in here without friends. I don't know what else I can say."

"I'm sorry you experienced that. I know it's hard to be treated like that."

Marisol scoffed, "Veronica, no offense, but what could you possibly know about it? You're gorgeous. No one would dream of cheating on you."

Veronica put her hand over Marisol's. "I'm going to share something with both of you so you can understand that what we see on the outside isn't always real." Veronica took a deep breath, it was getting easier to talk about. "I used to be that girl. I was a cheerleader in school and my boyfriend was the football star. Our entire future was written out for us. Then some things happened that made our perfect road take a detour. He started hitting me for anything I did that he didn't like. I used to fight back in the beginning but after years of it, I was broken down. The last straw was when he cheated on me with my own cousin. I finally got some strength and took my life back. He couldn't handle that. Most people like that can't, they need to be in control. He found me and tried to kill me. Thank God he didn't but that night crushed what was left of my soul." she looked at Marisol who looked terrified to hear her story, "Some days you wake up and it hurts to be human. But you have to wake up. Don't get bogged down by hate. It can kill you."

Marisol was quiet for a long time, "I didn't know...."

"Well to be fair, I didn't tell you."

"I'm so sorry!" Marisol started sobbing and both Lottie and Marisol hugged her.

"It's ok. I forgive you." Lottie was crying too. She looked at Veronica and mouthed 'thank you'. 

She smiled, glad it was over and hoping things could finally calm down.

"Hey, are things ok in here?" Noah was standing in the doorway.

Veronica looked out the glass door where the others were pretending not to watch.

"They sent you in first? Pitiful." Veronica laughed, "You guys are not stealthy at all!"

They all came over and stood in a group watching the three girls, Veronica looked at Marisol and Lottie. "Every thing is fine, right girls?"

Lottie wiped her eyes and stood up, "Yeah, it's all good."

Her phone dinged.

𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜! 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗! 𝙳𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚘. #𝙵𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 #𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝

Everyone looked at each other. They were all thinking the same thing. Lottie and Lucas deserved it but they weren't in a couple so that wasn't a choice.

"I nominate Veronica and Bobby." Priya smiled at the group. "Anyone else?"

Hope agreed, "I think that's fair."

"Looks like you two better go." Lottie winked at Veronica.

"Thank you guys. That's so nice. See you in the morning!" Veronica took Bobby's hand and they walked towards the hideaway. 

It was a short trip to the hideaway, Bobby jumped on the bed. "Should we make a pillow fort in here?" 

"A pillow fort? I mean sure if you'd like. They don't seem to have enough building resources in here though. So..."

While she was talking Bobby had gotten off the bed and was standing right in front of her. He grabbed her waist and she looked away.

"What's wrong?" 

"I'm not sure. All of a sudden I'm really nervous."

He was confused, "Nervous with me? Why?"

"I don't know. I really like you. Like really really."

He smirked, "Really?"

She bit her lip, and blushed.

"I'm not familiar with Shy Veronica..." He kissed her. "But we don't have to do anything if you don't want to."

For some reason that made her mad, "Why do you do that?"

He didn't know why she changed moods so quickly but decided to answer. "Do what?"

"Treat me like I'm fragile. I'm stronger than people give me credit for!"

"So, having respect for you means I think you're fragile? Is that what you're saying?" he let go of her and crossed his arms.

She was pushing him away, she knew it. Her mouth was saying these things but she couldn't stop them. 𝑺𝒉𝒖𝒕 𝒖𝒑 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂! "Sometimes people act like they can't do certain things around me, not even raise their voice around me. Like yes, he yelled at me but I'm not scared of everyone that yells!"

He understood what she meant. She wanted to be treated like Veronica, the person not Veronica, the victim. He had felt the same. The first 4 months, Jonno wouldn't even drink around him as if seeing alchohol was going to trigger him to want to end everything. She wanted to shed her past because it was beginning to weigh her down and she questioned everyone's actions. She thought everyone looked at her like she was a ticking time bomb.

"I see how you look at me sometimes. Like you feel sorry for me. Please don't be that guy. I need the guy who doesn't see me as a walking disaster." she let out a sad sigh, "Even when we had sex the other day, there was something in your eyes that looked like sympathy, at least at the beginning. I don't want that." she was crying, "I have so much fun with you and you make me feel beautiful and I want you in my life but not if it's just because you feel some sort of obligation to do so."

He was pissed at her, "Obligation?! You think I'm with you because I feel like I have to be? I'm with you because I 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 to be. Is this you pushing me away? Because, I was going to leave you alone. I was going to help you find someone else in here! But you had to open that damn mouth of yours and say that 𝒚𝒐𝒖 wanted to be with 𝒎𝒆! So I went for it and I'm ruined now. You are the only person that will ever make me happy! Damn it Veronica! I fucking..."

"What!?"

Now he was pissed at himself. He'd almost said it out loud. Damn, he had to watch himself. She was looking at him daring him to say it but he couldn't. Not yet.

"Just say it! Say you can't stand my craziness, tell me you wish that...."

He grabbed her and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He undid his pants and pulled her underwear to the side. He lowered her onto him and slammed into her over and over again with her back against the door. "You're all I want." She nodded in response. Every time her back slammed into the door she would moan for more. She kissed him trying to silence her moans of delight from him. "Oh no beautiful, I want to hear how much you love this." 

She gasped when he said that, it was so unlike him but she needed that right now. She was losing it, "Shit.... you feel so good. Don't stop. Damn don't stop." He opened her top and started biting and sucking. Still keeping his pace up. Flicking his tongue on the most sensitive areas to get more moans from her. He finally kissed her and she came unglued. It felt like her body was going to explode. She fell into him unable to hold herself up anymore. He carried her to the bed and covered her up while he snuggled up behind her. She fell asleep instantly.

When Veronica woke she felt amazing. She checked her phone. It was only 2 am. She stretched out. Her body was sore but it had been worth it. Pissed Bobby was something amazing. She looked over at him sleeping. She kissed his neck and he opened his eyes. She swallowed, "Hey."

He sat up, "Hey." he smiled at her, "feel better?"

She blushed, "Yeah, actually. Last night was amazing. Pissed Bobby can come out on special occasions if he wants." 

He laughed, "Pissed Bobby? That's hilarious! I honestly just wanted to shut your mind off. It was thinking way too much."

It was her turn to laugh, though she was still embarrassed."You noticed that huh?"

"Come here," he pulled her down and they cuddled, "You can't push me away like that. It's not fun and honestly, it's not fair. I mean, I shared my lava cake story with you. That's a big deal."

She giggled, "Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't know that was an exclusive Bobby experience."

"Well now you do." his expression got serious, "I know I like to joke around in here and I love making you laugh but you're quickly becoming someone I don't want to lose and I take that seriously."

She buried her face into his chest. "I am so sorry. I heard myself saying those things to you but I couldn't stop. When we came in here last night my feelings were overwhelming and then you saw that in me and backed away. I hate that look in your eyes. I want to look in your eyes and have you see me as beautiful, cute, funny. All the good stuff, none of the bad. I'm so over people thinking I'm weak."

"Ok, how about this? After we walk out this door later, that's it. I'm Bobby McKenzie, professional baker, Villa funny guy and amazing storyteller." He winked, "And you're Veronica Palmer, cat owner, sprinkle lover and Bobby McKenzie's girlfriend."

She smiled at him and teared up, "You want me to be your girlfriend?"

He paused and pretended to be thinking it over. "I mean you have all the girlfriend privileges. I don't throw everyone I meet against doors, you know?"

She poked him in the ribs, "Har Har."

"Besides this way if you ever try to push me away again you can't because you have the official title. It's hard to shake."

"Thank you, I'm really happy." she kissed him. "But I'm exhausted."

"Yeah no shit, you killed my body last night you sex crazed fool!"

She laughed really hard with that, "Let's get some sleep."

"Sounds good."


	11. The Story of Us Looks Like a Tragedy Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Muffins are made, Secrets are revealed and will someone just feed Gary...I mean....
> 
> Also, two new Islanders enter The Villa. It's like totes exciting.....not really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Reader: riversandroads01- Thank you for going on this ride with me so far. Buckle up! It isn't close to over 💚 
> 
> Oh, a simple complication  
> Miscommunications lead to fall out  
> So many things that I wish you knew  
> So many walls up, I can't break through
> 
> The Story of Us // Taylor Swift
> 
> This is the longest chapter so far
> 
> 👉 Trigger warnings in this one.

Apparently, when you wake up being Bobby McKenzie's girlfriend, you get called beautiful even with smudged makeup and extreme bedhead.

And, when you're Bobby McKenzie's girlfriend, you immediately get sex in the shower, followed by two dozen blueberry muffins.

When you're Bobby McKenzie's girlfriend, everything is amazing.

"Yes! Get in!" Gary reached for a muffin but Bobby slapped his hand away, "What the...?"

"Those are for Veronica, those..." he pointed at the oven and it buzzed, "are for you."

"She needs two dozen muffins?!" Gary was annoyed but dropped it as Bobby set a muffin down in front of him. He took a big bite and burned his mouth, "Shit!"

"Careful, It's hot...." he rolled his eyes.

Lucas and Lottie came down together laughing and holding hands. They saw Bobby and Gary and immediately pulled apart. 

Lottie looked around the kitchen, "What's with all the muffins?" 

"Apparently Veronica put an order in for two dozen." Gary laughed.

"She doesn't have to ask. I just wanted to do something nice for her. It's not like you can only make one muffin."

Lottie raised an eyebrow at Bobby, "Right.... so where is she?"

"I'm not holding her hostage or anything. I'm just letting her sleep in a bit." 

"I'm going to go get her up. Oh Veronica!" Lottie ran off towards the hideaway.

Lucas laughed, "Poor girl. So much for getting any sleep. So, how was your night? Anything fun happen?" he smirked.

"I asked her to be my girlfriend."

Lucas was happy for him, "That's great Bobby! Congratulations! She did say yes.....right?"

Bobby laughed, "Of course she said yes. Who doesn't say yes to this." he motioned to the muffins and himself. "but I'm worried."

"Already? Damn."

"It's just....last night she tried to push me away. She told me before that she usually does that when things are going well but it still hurts. She asked if I was with her just because I felt like I had to be."

"And are you?"

"Of course not! I don't want to be without her." He lowered his voice, "I almost told her I loved her last night. I had to catch myself."

"That's a big step."

"I know, which is why I can't tell her. At least not yet. But I want her to know how much she means to me so I thought becoming official was the next best thing. She's really getting fed up with her past defining her. She wants it to disappear. I get that, but it's not going to happen the way she wants it to."

"You're a good guy Bobby."

He chuckled, "Thanks man, I knew that.... but I still appreciate it." He grabbed a spatula and pointed it at Lucas, "So..... you and Lottie seem to be in good spirits. You know, it's not against any rules to hold her hand."

"I know, it's just really new and we're not even coupled up together. So it's odd."

"That's fair," he looked up and saw Lottie and Veronica laughing by the pool, "We're in deep aren't we?"

Lucas nodded, "The deepest."

\-------------

Veronica and Lottie were relaxing on the Daybeds. They hadn't done anything all day and it was just nice to have girl time. Veronica was so grateful for her friendship with Lottie. She would never replace Misty but Lottie could definitely be up there with her on the best friend list.

"Ok, so spill it. Hideaway secrets. I need to know!"

Veronica laughed, "I was wondering how long it would take you to ask." she looked around for Bobby before she said anything, he was talking to the guys in the kitchen, "It was actually bad at first...."

"What?! What does that mean? Is Bobby, you know," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "small?"

"Omg! Lottie!! No.....no he's definitely really nice in that category.....like really nice...." she spaced out a bit.

"Damn!"

That snapped her back to reality, "Shhhh! Geeze! It was me that made it bad. I started acting so stupid and we got in a fight. A little one but still a fight."

"Oh babe, about what?"

"When we're together he sometimes gets this look in his eyes that makes me feel like he thinks I'm some kind of sad disaster that he has to tiptoe around. I hate that."

"Babe, I understand your side but I understand his too. He really cares for you and unfortunately with your past, he's probably scared he'll accidentally hurt you or bring up old memories."

"I know and I get that, but it also pisses me off. I told him I wanted to just be done with it."

"What did he say?"

She grinned, "He asked me to be his girlfriend!"

The two girls squealed (Hello Hannah!) and jumped up and down together. Everyone looked over at them. Bobby tilted his head and smiled, "Everything ok over there?!" he yelled from across the entire Villa which made everyone keep staring. Veronica sat down.

"Everything's fine! There was a..... uhh..... well there was a bee. Right Lottie?" she nudged her.

"Oh yeah! One of those really aggressive ones." she smirked at Veronica, "It was HUGE!" 

The girls fell back laughing. Priya walked over and flopped down on the bed.

"Hey girls. What's so funny?"

Lottie sat up, "Just Veronica being ridiculous around Bobby. Don't you think they should just get married here and have like, a dozen babies?"

"Oh I know! Veronica, you're so lucky to be with him."

"Do you girls see yourselves with kids?" Lottie was genuinely curious, she had always wanted at least one.

"I'm not sure really. I mean kids are great but I don't know if I see myself having one. I kind of want to be the hot cool Aunt who returns them full of sugar." Priya laughed, "What about you Veronica?"

Veronica was lost in thought. Of course she wanted to have a baby. She had always wanted to have a little boy. She even had a name picked out, Thomas. Tommy for short. She had a dream sometimes of a little boy sitting on a porch swing giggling and in the dream he kept calling her Mommy and smiling. She wanted that more than anything.

"Veronica? Hello! You ok?"

"Oh..... yeah. sorry. It would be a dream come true to have a kid one day."

"Well that's good because I know Bobby wants them for sure." Lottie smiled at her.

"How do 𝒚𝒐𝒖 know that?" Veronica was confused.

Lottie blushed, "Well, I'm embarrassed to say this but remember the very first day when we had that photoshoot?" Veronica nodded, "Well after I got told to put my tarot cards away because I was freaking out the crew, which by the way was not true, I got mad and snuck over to the other side of the studio. Thought I'd do some early flirting. Anyway, the guys were there and they were talking about stupid boy stuff. A producer pulled Bobby for his interview and asked how he felt about starting a family. He said he really wanted one and that he didn't think he could be with someone who didn't want any kids."

Veronica felt the blood drain from her face and she sat up. She pulled out her phone, "Sorry girls, Uhh, I'm needed in the beach hut. Stupid questions, am I right? Talk later!" and she walked off towards the beach hut.

Lottie and Priya watched her walk away.

"That was weird, right?" Priya was worried about her.

"A little bit. But they have been interviewing us a lot more lately."

"Maybe... anyway, I saw you and Lucas go up to the roof last night." Priya smiled at Lottie, "I'm really happy for you. I know I wasn't your favorite person when I came in here but I want you to know that I fully support you and Lucas."

"Thank you, that means a lot, Priya."

Priya loved the girls here. She had never really connected to other girls. They immediately judged her based on her looks. Fake boobs were always hated on by other girls. Like they were huge signs that said, Hi, I'm Mrs. Steal Your Man. But that wasn't true at all. She wanted to be friends.

"So.... give me all the details!!"

\-----------------

Lucas had been watching the girls and he could hear the last bit of their conversation. When Veronica got up she glanced at him but then put her head down and walked off. He knew she didn't get a text. He got up to follow her. It was time to talk.

\---------------------

Veronica walked into the beach hut. Tears starting to fall. She talked outloud to the room, "Could we please cut the cameras? I need a couple minutes."

There was silence and then a voice, "Sure Veronica, we can cut them in here for ten minutes but that's it."

"Thank you." she took her mic off and began to cry uncontrollably.

The voice was back, "Veronica, can we do anything?"

She shook her head and cried harder, "Nnnooo. I just.... I just need some space." she sounded like she was hyperventilating.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. It was Lucas. 

The voice spoke again, "Lucas, could you look her over? The cameras are off."

This was it. "Of course." He took his mic off and knelt down in front of her, "We need to talk anyway."

She sniffled, "What about?"

He let out a breath of air. He wasn't going to get another chance without the cameras. "About two years ago, I finished my courses in college and I had to do my clinicals, I lucked out and got on at the emergency room at a local University hospital." As he spoke he remembered that night like it was yesterday......

ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɴɪɢʜᴛ

"𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱! 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦! 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴!"

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴. 

𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳."𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥?! 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵?!" 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 '𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨' 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢 '𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦'

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭. "𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳! 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘥!" 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴. "𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢! 𝘞𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱! 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦?!"

"𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧?"

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘕𝘰! 𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳! 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦! 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢!" 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺.

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴. 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳, "𝘏𝘦𝘺! 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦! 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦?"

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴, "𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺. 𝘔𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺."

"𝘖𝘬 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳."

"𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵."

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘖𝘬?"

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯. 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘬𝘶𝘭𝘭, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴.

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘩? 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭."

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥, "𝘐𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘵?"

"𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘨. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺. 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵." 𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, "𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳."

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦, "𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦?"

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦." 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦? 𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?"

"𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴. 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘩, 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥."

"𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴." 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺.

𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺'𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘥, "𝘖𝘩 𝘔𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥....."

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵?"

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, "𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵."

ʙᴀᴄᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪʟʟᴀ

He sighed, "I didn't know how to tell you, but when I saw you on the show, I knew I owed it to you to give you some kind of happiness."

She had silent tears rolling down her face and wouldn't look at him, "They told me that I'll most likely never have a child of my own because of all the complications, He took the last good thing from me and I hate him for it." She wrapped her arms around Lucas and let everything out. All the pain of being told she'd never be a mother unless she considered other routes, that she'd need to start physical therapy because she had nerve damage that could be permanent, and that all these things, the injuries, the trauma, they would most likely affect her for the rest of her life.

She let go of him, "I don't remember you though. Just the lady who told me. But really, I don't even remember her. That whole night. It's a blur."

"That's probably best if I'm being honest. Your face that night. It never leaves me. I hear Misty screaming for help still in my dreams. You grabbed my hand and begged me not to tell her. You said she'd really kill him."

"So that's why you were so eager to help me. You felt sorry for me?"

"I wouldn't say that Veronica. I just feel like if someone went so far out of their way to hurt you that much, then why can't someone go out of their way to help you?" He kissed her on the cheek and immediately regretted it. He didn't have romantic feelings for her, he almost felt like a brother to her, but he didn't want there to be any confusion. She was already struggling with so much. "I'm sorry, that wasn't.... It didn't mean..."

"It's ok, I know how you meant it. I think of you as my brother in here. Your friendship to me is so important." she smiled sadly, then thought about Bobby and panicked, that's what had brought her in here in the first place. "What do I tell Bobby? I never thought I'd find someone in here that I would actually want a life with. It's only been two weeks but I think I'm in love with him." she started to cry again, "What if he dumps me because of this? What if this is a dealbreaker for him?"

"Hey, calm down, It's going to be alright," he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, "Bobby dump you? There is no way. Give the guy some credit. It has only been two weeks but we can't help how fast we care for someone. He cares so much for you that it's actually insulting to the rest of us. We really need to step up our game."

She laughed through the tears, "Thank you for following me in here and.... for everything else. When Lottie and Priya started talking about having children.... it hurt. Bobby wants kids. I can't give that to him."

He hugged her again, "Everything is going to work out, you'll see."

\------------------

Tonya couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You let them take their fucking microphones OFF?! Those cameras better have been on. What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Tonya, listen, that girl was so upset. She's been through a lot. Of course the cameras were really on but it does not need to air. Unless she wants it on TV it won't be. Do you understand me?" Cathy couldn't believe her.

"What could have been so bad it can't air? We aired her story about Travis."

"Yeah, because she chose to talk about it. This was different."

Tonya huffed, "Didn't you say their mics were off?"

"Yes, off their bodies but not 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 off. Why does that matter?"

"Ok, let's compromise. We show the end. My assistant says Lucas kissed her, right?"

"On the cheek. It was nothing romantic. He clarified that to her." 

"Let's just put it in. Plus some of the audio that doesn't involve whatever they were talking about. People love a good mystery."

Cathy sighed, Tonya was in charge so there wasn't much she could do, "Fine. But you really need to watch this and grow a heart Tonya!" She shoved a DVD into her chest. "These are real people. This isn't some game and you're the puppet master! It's real."

\--------------------

"I really enjoy being in the kitchen with you. It's fun." Bobby came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. One hand started to trail under her bikini bottom, she giggled and smacked it away. He smiled at that.

"I can't concentrate." She was trying to make a red velvet cake. They had missed Lottie's birthday because she didn't tell them about it. Somehow, Hope had known about it though and she told everyone. Lottie said she didn't want to make a big deal about it, but Veronica was going to annoy her with her friendship anyway.

Bobby stuck a finger in the butter cream frosting and booped her on the nose. "Girlfriends get the best boops." She giggled, booping her on the nose had become his newest thing to do. He wiped it back off and sucked it off his finger, "Essence of Veronica, so good."

"You're very eager today." She kissed him. She stepped back to look at her creation, "Does it look ok?"

Her cake was lopsided and had frosting that was dripping because she didn't listen when Bobby said it needed to cool first, then frosting.

He tilted his head, "From this angle it looks great!" 

She pouted, "It's a mess!"

He laughed and pulled her into him, "It's fine. She'll love it." He kissed her on the neck and then began trailing kisses down to her shoulder. She closed her eyes and sighed happily. 

"Did you ever think you'd be this happy in here?"

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her. "With you? Absolutely. Everything is better with you. I can't imagine not having you here."

She blushed, "I feel the same." She looked at the ugly cake and sighed, "Well everything is better except for that. Maybe decorating it will help?"

He snapped his fingers, "Great idea! Let's put a pentagram on top!" 

"She'll love that!" She thought he'd be annoyed that she sucked at baking but he never seemed to mind things like that. He just enjoyed doing things together. "Hey," she drew a pentagram on top of the cake with some red icing, "I had fun doing this."

"Of course you did! I'm a professional! Only the best for my Girl." He looked so happy. She hadn't told him about the beach hut yet. She just wanted to enjoy as much time with him as she could.

"I'm going to go get her, can you get everyone in the kitchen?"

"Operation B-Day is on!" Bobby ran off to find the others.

Veronica found Lottie in the bathroom looking at different bottles in her bag.

"What are you doing??"

"I was ready for a new color." she held up two different shades, "Red or black?

"Definitely black, but I also like the purple you have now."

She frowned,"I don't think Lucas likes it.'

"What makes you say that?"

She sighed, "We were talking last night and I probably got a little ahead of myself but I mentioned meeting his parents. He kind of froze up and avoided it. I think he's embarrassed by me. I know I'm not really the kind of girl he would go for in the real world."

"I think you're overthinking this, and trust me, I'm the Queen of overthinking," she laughed, "Lucas is crazy about you. Your hair color isn't going to change that."

They heard someone coming, it was Priya.

"There you two are! What's going on?'

Veronica, Lottie and Priya had become closer since the other day. Priya was such a sweetheart. 

"Oh thank goodness! Would you talk some sense into Lottie and tell her that Lucas is crazy about her? Hair color and all." she stuck her tongue out.

"Lottie, of course he is! But if you're changing the color, my vote is for black."

Veronica almost forgot about the cake.

"Actually can we do this later? I wanted to show you something that I did in the kitchen."

"I really want to get it done." Lottie complained 

"Please Lottie! Gary might eat it and I won't be able to show you!"

Lottie laughed, "You're probably right. Ok let's go."

Priya and Veronica led Lottie downstairs. As soon as they stepped in the kitchen everyone shouted 'surprise!' Lottie was actually surprised. 

"You did this Veronica?"

"Yeah..."

Lottie hugged her tight, "Thank you, no one has ever done anything like this for me before."

She stepped back to look at her cake. "Why does it look like it's been stepped on and thrown into a volcano?"

Veronica crossed her arms, "Hey! Baking is hard!"

"You 𝒂𝒓𝒆 coupled up with a baker though...." Marisol giggled. She was in such a better mood lately 

Bobby put his hands up, "Hey I tried to tell her. It's not my fault that Ronnie is so stubborn." 

She rolled her eyes at them all, "Fine, I'll eat it and you all can just stand and watch."

"Hey now! Don't be outrageous!" Gary had been waiting for the cake all day. Everyone laughed.

Lucas walked over to Lottie and kissed her. "Happy Birthday, Lottie."

Everyone sang Happy Birthday and the cake was actually really good considering how it looked. The last couple days in the Villa since the recoupling had been so great, it would be a shame if something happened to disrupt that, right?

"Guys! I got a text!"

The text said they were having a party with drinks and a DJ. Veronica was excited, she just wanted to have a fun night with everyone.

"Yesss! I hope they play some Cardi B! That's my girl!" Bobby looked at Veronica. "Well. My second girl. You're always my number one." 

She laughed, "Uh huh.... Sure."

All the girls went to get ready. When Veronica walked in to the dressing room all the girls were clapping and Priya ran up to hug her.

"Uhhh, what's going on? Am I the millionth Islander to walk in here so I won a prize?"

"Having Bobby as your boyfriend isn't a good enough prize? Why didn't you tell us?!"

"Sorry, it's been a few days. We weren't hiding it, course we weren't really shouting it from the roof either." she was smiling, "How did you all find out anyway?"

They all pointed at Lottie. 

"Some friend you are!" she wasn't mad though. She knew Lottie was just happy for her.

"Can't wait until Noah and I get to go to the Hideaway. That's where he asked you right?"

"Yeah, it was."

"That's so sweet! Maybe I made the wrong choice stealing Noah from you. Maybe Bobby and I would have worked out." Hope eyed her and laughed 

"That's a weird thing to say Hope. Can't you just be happy for them?" Priya rolled her eyes.

"Actually, I think we would have still gotten together even if I had stayed with Noah. We're just drawn to each other."

All the girls gushed about how cute that was and how they were jealous.

"Hope, I thought you and Noah were doing really well?"

"Oh we are! It's just, we don't need labels. We're past all the butterflies."

Lottie caught Veronica's eye and mouthed, 'what?'

Veronica giggled, "That's..... great?"

She grinned, "I know right?!" 

\------------------

The party was great. Veronica and the girls danced and they even sang a few songs together at the top of their lungs. Even Marisol joined in. 

Lottie was sitting at the pool with her feet in the water when Veronica joined her.

"What's up, beautiful?"

Lottie smiled, "Today has been really good. I haven't had girlfriends in a long time. Most girls find me difficult."

"You difficult?! Who are these girls? Let's put a hex on them!" Lottie threw her head back and laughed at that.

"That's why I'm glad we're friends Veronica. You are so funny but you also aren't afraid to say what you think and feel. I really admire that."

"Lottie, you're the same. You fight for what you believe is right. That's a special trait. You remind me a lot of Misty."

"I'd like to meet her after all this. She sounds great."

"Oh wow, you and Misty together, plotting against me? No thanks!" the two friends laughed. "No, I would really like that actually." she paused, "You know, the night Travis..... found me?....anyway, Misty came home early and found me. She carried me to the ER. We lived across the street but still. That's an amazing friend. I can never repay her for that."

"But you don't have to. I know she'd do it all over again if she had to."

Veronica smiled, "You're right. She would. I thought about leaving the show on that second day. I stayed because I knew she'd be pissed and I owe it to her to try and be happy. She transferred colleges to come be with me."

"Everyone needs a Misty."

"Absolutely."

"Hey you two! Get over here! Lucas and I are lonely!" Bobby yelled for them across the Villa

"Guess we better go. They're lost without us for five minutes."

They got up and walked towards the dance floor. Veronica was halfway there when a little blonde ball of energy knocked her off her feet.

"What the...!"

"Oh Veronica!!! I am so sorry!!!" The girl pulled her up to her feet, "You're totes more gorgeous in person!!" The girl hugged her tightly.

"Uhhh excuse me.... I can't breathe..."

"Oh!!! Sorry!!" she let go of her, "Sometimes I can be a bit 'intense' at least that's what my clients say!" she laughed

Everyone was looking at the new girl. 

"Hello! I'm Hope and this is..."

"Oh Hope! I know who all of you are, obviously." She waved her away, "I'm Chelsea!! and that," she pointed to a massive guy walking in, "is Jakub. We're the new arrivals!!"

When Priya saw Jakub she whispered behind Veronica, "Hot Damn! He's fit."

Jakub walked over to the group.

"Sup. I'm Jakub and I just have to say," he turned toward Veronica, "You are fine as hell." he licked his lips 

𝒖𝒈𝒉, 𝒐𝒌 𝒃𝒚𝒆 Veronica made a disgusted face. Bobby stepped in between her and Jakub. He stuck his hand out.

"Hey man, I'm Bobby. The fine one? Yeah... She's with me. Nice to meet you."

Jakub looked him up and down, "Bobby? Oh yeah, the one that follows her around in here like a little puppy." He went to shake his hand but Bobby put it down to his side and was clenching both hands into fists.

Veronica went to say something but Lucas stepped in. "Hey, let's all just calm down." she was grateful for that, she smiled at him, "So, you two have been watching, see anything interesting?"

Chelsea was literally bursting to speak, "Oh Lucas! You know there was!!! That kiss was so sweet!! Totally a swoon moment!"

He blushed, "Oh, yeah.... Lottie and I have been really hitting it off." He smiled at Lottie who was fighting a smile.

Jakub laughed, "No mate. She's talking about you and Veronica, in the beach hut."

Everyone turned to look at Veronica. She was confused, "Kiss?" she looked at Lucas. 

"Don't come in here starting rumors. Lucas and Veronica are just friends." Bobby did not like this Jakub guy.

"Like 𝒚𝒐𝒖 and Veronica were just friends?" Jakub was enjoying this.

"When was this?" Lottie was impatient and wanted facts.

"The day after Bobby and Veronica went to the Hideaway! It was shot like raw footage, total documentary style, we could barely hear you two. They had to add subtitles." Chelsea was actually shaking with excitement.

Veronica felt sick. Panic was setting in. They fucking lied to her about the cameras, "Bobby....."

Lucas was also in panic mode, "Ok. This is a huge misunderstanding. She was upset and we were just talking -"

Bobby was pissed, "Misunderstanding? Did you or did you not kiss my girlfriend? It's a simple yes or no."

Lucas glanced at Veronica.

"No. Don't look at her. Look at me. Yes or no?"

Veronica started to shake, she answered for him, "It was just a kiss on the cheek. That's it. I promise..."

Chelsea didn't know when to be quiet, "But Babe!!! It looked so amazing!! He was knelt down in front of you and everything!! You were crying and hugging him and then he kissed you on the cheek and then you asked what you were going to tell Bobby and he said everything was going to be alright."

She couldn't stop looking at Bobby's face, it was full of heartache, "No. That's out of context. I was upset and Lucas followed me in there to comfort me. That's all. After the kiss he even told me it didn't mean anything. Wasn't that in there?" she turned to Chelsea.

"No babe. That wasn't in there at all."

"Wait a minute, Veronica, you said you had to go answer questions in the beach hut. You lied?" Priya was surprised she would lie about something like that.

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓! "Yes, I'm sorry. I was having a moment and needed space."

"But Lucas was allowed to be there." Lottie was hurt and mad.

"Lottie, I followed 𝒉𝒆𝒓. She didn't know I was going to be there."

"But why? Why not just go get Bobby?" Marisol was curious in how all this unfolded.

Lucas sighed and looked at Veronica, "We need to tell them." he ran a hand through his hair, "That mean tweet was right. I do know Veronica but she doesn't know me. I wanted to tell her since she was officially with Bobby. I didn't want any secrets." He looked at Bobby, "I consider us friends and I didn't want something, like 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔," he motioned at the group, "to jeopardize that."

"How would you know her but she not know you?"

He took a deep breath, "I was working in the Emergency room one night and she came in after..... an accident." He was leaving the details out because that was her secret, not his, and she should decide when and who to tell it to.

Veronica couldn't take her eyes off Bobby. "I was really messed up so I don't remember much from that night."

"Was it a car accident?" Hope was one of the few who still didn't know.

"It was probably that asshole Travis right?" Chelsea seemed nice but damn she needed a muzzle right now.

Veronica crossed her arms, "Chelsea, babe, I know we just met but please shut it." she sighed and turned towards the group. "My 'accidents' were because of my boyfriend."

Hope gasped, so did Priya. Veronica felt exhausted. Now everyone knew. At least that was over. Now on to Bobby and hoping he'd forgive her, even though she did nothing wrong.

"What had you so upset though?" Henrik was not following the story at all 

She didn't know what to say. She prayed for something to come to her. "Well, it was..."

Lottie was thinking about that day. They had been joking about having kids...Veronica had said it would be a dream come true to...𝑶𝒉 𝒏𝒐...she saw it on her face before the thought had even fully formed. She spoke up, "I had been teasing her and sometimes I don't know when to stop. I must have triggered a memory?" she turned to Veronica with a knowing look, Veronica nodded, "I am so sorry."

"It's ok." she hugged her, "I promise the kiss was just meant as friendly. Lucas is like a brother to me and I would never want to hurt you or Bobby."

"I believe you Babe. I'm not mad." Lottie looked at Bobby, "What do you think? Should we forgive these two?"

Bobby was still upset. "I need a minute." and he walked off towards the bedroom.

\---------------

Lottie had taken Veronica off to the side to talk and try to calm her down. It had been two hours since Bobby said he "needed a minute" Lucas went to find him. Everyone else huddled around the new Islanders asking questions. 

He found him in the bathroom, sitting on the floor, cradling an empty bottle of vodka. Bobby started talking when he heard Lucas walk in.

"I used to not be a jealous guy, but after your fiance fucks another guy for a year behind your back, you kind of start second guessing things."

Lucas stayed quiet. He just nodded letting Bobby continue.

"Everyone looks at me and sees this funny guy that bakes and is carefree. But really I'm just scared. Tonight reminded me of that. She'll never be honest with me, not completely. I can't handle it. It's over. I'll be her friend but nothing more."

Lucas went wide eyed, "Ok, you don't mean that. You just need some rest and in the morning you'll see things differently."

He shook his head, "No. In the morning, I'll be in a friendship couple again. Where I belong."

Lucas wanted to punch him in his drunk face, "You can NOT do that to her! It'll crush her! Think this through! You're going to regret this. Tonight was just really intense."

"It's always intense with her. Why can't she just tell me?" He got up and started to walk away but he was swaying. Lucas grabbed his arm.

"I'm telling you. Don't do this. It's not what you want. You're being a coward."

Bobby shoved him away. "I know."

\---------------------

"Lucas will talk to him and everything will be fine."

Veronica nodded. She was sure Lucas would talk him down. She saw how upset he was. She just wanted to laugh with him and feel happy again.

"Oh that was fast...." Lottie looked over to see Bobby walking over to them. She could tell something about him was off. "You ok?"

"I'm great." He looked at Veronica, "We should talk."

"I think that's a good idea." she smiled at him but he didn't smile back. She could smell the alchohol. She felt her stomach drop.

Lottie looked back at Lucas, he shook his head. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏?

Bobby felt like he was about to have a heart attack. Why was he doing this? He fucking loved this perfect, broken, beautiful, outspoken woman and yet his heart was shutting down again. He was becoming numb. Hearing from that Jakub guy that Lucas and Veronica had shared a moment together almost killed him. It was either lose it and be a complete fuck up in here and have his anger come back or be a damn coward and end it, shove it all away.

"So, I'm just going to say this because I don't know what else to do." He was shaking. "I want to break up."

She immediately got upset, "What?! Break up? Are you kidding me? Bobby, please!"

"It's for the best."

"Best for who?! I don't want this. It's not fair!"

"You're not ready for this yet. It's not your fault."

She put her hand up to stop him, "I'm not READY?! Is that what you just fucking said to me?!" She couldn't believe he was blaming her. She shoved him, "You're pathetic."

His heart shattered into a thousand pieces when he heard the hate and sadness in her voice but he couldn't show it hurt him, "Well, maybe you can talk to Lucas about it." She slapped him across the face and burst into tears.

Lottie ran towards her and took her away from him. 

"Veronica, it's ok. It'll be ok." she hugged her because she didn't know what else to do or say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to say, I'm Sorry 😭 My heart broke writing this. 💔


	12. You Broke Up With Her, You Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after always sucks.
> 
> Also, Jakub, it's called Sangria 🍷

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Reader: riversandroads01 💚 Go check her out! Love your work!! And, as always, thanks for listening to my crazy 🤣
> 
> I believe, I believe, I believe, I believe  
> That we're meant to be  
> But jealousy, jealousy, jealousy, jealousy  
> Get the best of me  
> Look, I don't mean to frustrate, but I  
> Always make the same mistakes, yeah I  
> Always make the same mistakes 'cause
> 
> I'm bad at love (ooh-ooh)  
> But you can't blame me for tryin'  
> You know I'd be lyin' sayin'  
> You were the one (ooh-ooh)  
> That could finally fix me  
> Lookin' at my history  
> I'm bad at love
> 
> Bad At Love // Halsey

It was Friday night and Tonya had finally sat down to watch the rest of Veronica's scenes, some unaired, and the beach hut interaction. Hashtag Beachgate as her assistant called it, was apparently trending. She hit play.

She watched Veronica smooth things over with Lottie and Marisol, she rolled her eyes. She had hoped that would cause more of an uproar. Then she saw Bobby and Veronica go to the hideaway. She started to hit fast forward because she didn't want to watch all that but instead, they were arguing.... she turned up the volume. 

"𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳!"

"𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦....."

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺! 𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢! 𝘐 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨..."

It looked like the baker guy had some real feelings. No one had told her that. She fast forward. They had made things official the next morning and you could see how happy Veronica was. The footage ended and Tonya put the beach hut DVD in. She hit play.

She saw the girls talking about kids then Veronica saying she got a text for an interview, she had wondered how they ended up in the beach hut in the first place. 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓. She saw as Lucas watched and followed her, he genuinely looked concerned for her. After a few minutes she understood. That poor girl. Tonya had no idea this is what had happened. 

She put in the newest DVD that she received a few hours ago, it was labeled, "footage aired." It showed Lucas kneeling in front of Veronica and she was crying. There were subtitles since they had taken their mics off, you could hear but subtitles made things seem intimate for some reason. The scene was edited to make it seem just like Tonya had said, mysterious.

He kissed her on the cheek

She looked at him with panic on her face. "What do I tell Bobby?"

He looked up at her, "Hey, calm down, It's going to alright," and he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

The scene ended. Tonya put a hand up to her mouth and saw her reflection in the TV screen. "What have I done?"

She grabbed her cellphone. It was late but an assistant was supposed to be there whenever they were needed. She text Hunter

𝙳𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚎𝚝?

She waited for him to respond. If the new ones hadn't arrived yet she could make sure they were told not to mention it. It was the only way to stop it. They had teased it everywhere as the kiss that would rock the Villa. If Hunter didn't answer soon she'd just call his ass and threaten to fire him. She got a text.

𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚑, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 

𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒊𝒕! She shot back a reply,

𝙳𝚘 𝚠𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍?

This was dumb, she hit call.

"Hunter, what happened."

He was still half asleep, "Hold on," he yawned and sounded like he was stretching, "Sorry..... I wasn't there but Rachel said the new girl Chelsea came in and said something about a sweet kiss with Lucas. He thought she meant between him and Lottie but Jakub jumped in and spilled the tea about the beach hut."

𝑶𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅. That block head was obsessed with Veronica, Tonya had made sure of it. She sighed, "Hunter I don't ever say this but I think I really messed this one up."

Hunter was confused, "What do you mean?"

"Did you see what really happened? It was heartbreaking."

"Are you ok, Tonya? It's just a bit of drama. Nothing...."

"No Hunter!" she cut him off, "This is different. This is a really bad thing that happened to her and I used it for entertainment."

"Everything is fine. I mean Bobby's still pissed but Rachel said that Lottie stepped in at the end and said that it was her fault that Veronica was upset in the first place."

"She did?" Why had Lottie done that? "I need a copy of the raw footage from tonight. Now."

"Ok, hang on, I have a friend in editing that can probably email it to me."

"This late?"

"Tonya, editors don't sleep." he laughed, "especially with all the edits you usually want. There just emailed him. Now we wait."

Tonya thought of something. 𝑭𝒖𝒄𝒌. "Hunter. Please tell me the next set of Islanders aren't set in stone."

"Oh, yeah. That's all taken care of. All contracts are already signed and interviews filmed. I thought you'd appreciate getting it done as soon as possible."

Tonya had never hated herself before but she was starting to. She didn't know that they actually liked each other. Most of the time the relationships on the show were just summer flings but these two had a deep connection and she had overlooked it. Their pasts were so traumatic and they didn't deserve to be focused on so much. But that's what had happened. Because of her.

"Oh, he just sent it the footage! I'll email it to you now, ok?"

"Ok great. Thanks Hunter."

\------------------

Misty had left work early. She had to watch this episode. They kept teasing that something was going to happen between Lucas and Veronica. If something did happen she was going to march into that Villa and pull Veronica out of there. 𝑯𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅?

She sent a text to Mrs. P telling her she was home. She turned on the TV just as they started the update portion since the last episode had ended by them postponing the recoupling.

The episode opened with Veronica telling Lottie to go talk to Lucas. Lucas ended up kissing Lottie and it was really cute. Then there were interviews with everyone. Misty's phone rang.

"Hello..."

"How could they tell her something so untrue! Of course we're watching!"

Veronica's mom was pissed that the show had lied to her.

"I know. It was weird but Lucas is right, they like to cause doubt in there."

"It's still wrong. Oh, the recoupling!"

They sat in silence on the phone as they watched the recoupling. Misty was so proud of Veronica standing up against Marisol but also understanding her pain.

"Oh Frank. Calm down."

Misty laughed. Mr. P didn't want to watch the hideaway scene. She didn't blame him. 

"I love how much he understands her."

Mrs. P loved Bobby. He treated Veronica with the respect she needed and he actually listened to her concerns.

"OMG!!!" Misty couldn't control herself, they were official and she was so happy for her friend.

Finally things slowed down in the episode. Just guys talking and girls talking. Then Veronica said she had to go to the beach hut. Misty saw that look in her eyes. She was lying. It cut to Lucas. He noticed it too. Misty didn't realise it but she had a death grip on the phone. This had to be it. The camera was pointed at a blank wall and you could hear very soft crying then talking. Finally the camera showed Lucas kneeling in front of Veronica. He kissed her cheek. The way this was edited it was done for shock value. 

"This is ridiculous! We're missing a huge chunk of information here. That was nothing....."

Mrs. P was talking but Misty could barely hear her. It was him. He was the one who rushed to them when she dragged Veronica into the emergency room that night. Seeing him knelt down and looking up at her friend. It was the same way he had looked at her when he was trying to calm her down. He knew how bad it had been for Veronica.

"Mrs. P. I gotta go."

"Are you alright dear? You know that was a load of rubbish!"

"Yeah I'm fine. I just have a headache."

"Oh alright dear! Get some rest."

\----------------

Lottie had made sure Veronica was in bed and asleep before she came back down to the lawn. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈. She was so pissed at Bobby. She knew he had been drunk but that wasn't an excuse to be a complete ass.

She sat down next to Lucas,"She's asleep. God, that was awful."

Lucas nodded and pointed to the Daybeds. "He's out cold. He's going to hate himself tomorrow."

Lottie scoffed, "Well he should. He was awful tonight. I'm so pissed at him for what he did to her."

"Hey, he's having a rough time. He's told her everything and she still has secrets. That has to hurt. Plus finding out from Jakub, he was practically having a pissing contest with Bobby."

"I 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 hate your logic sometimes." She rested her head on his shoulder. He turned and kissed the top of her head. "I'm not mad at you, just so you know. I understand your friendship with her. I think I know what you guys talked about. I saw it on her face tonight."

Lucas put his hand on her knee, "It's not fair that some people experience so much heartbreak in their lives."

Lottie lifted her head and nodded, "To find out you can't have children. I couldn't imagine." she looked at him, "I know I'm not your normal type and you get annoyed talking about life outside of here but I would like to have a kid. Would you?"

He was confused, "What do you mean? Who said you weren't my type? When did I get annoyed talking about life after this show with you?"

"Well, I mentioned your parents the other day and you kind of froze up. I shouldn't have brought it up in the first place but -"

He turned and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and in one swift motion he lifted her to his lap and continued the kiss. That caused her to smile. He ran a hand through her hair and pulled her deeper into him. She smelled like a forest after a soft rain. 

The kiss ended and he looked into her eyes causing her to blush and look away, "Hey, look at me." She turned towards him and smiled, "I have a feeling you're thinking I'm embarrassed to let you meet my parents or something like that, right?" she nodded, "It's actually the opposite. My family is full of judgmental assholes. Especially my father. I don't want you around that. You are so important to me Lottie."

She made a face, "Right. The goth girl is important to the posh guy."

He laughed, "You are. This posh guy really likes his goth girl. You are exactly who I've been looking for." 

She kissed him and started unbuttoning his shirt, "Hey. Give me a minute and meet me upstairs?"

"Yes please," she gave him another quick kiss and walked upstairs.

Lucas grabbed a sharpie from the kitchen and walked over to Bobby. He picked his hand up and wrote on the back of it. He sighed and spoke out loud to the sleeping idiot, "You've really fucked this up. We'll talk tomorrow."

\--------------

Bobby woke up to the sounds of laughter but to him it sounded like jackhammers on his skull. When he sat up the whole world shifted. He groaned.

"Well good morning Sleeping Beauty! Want a cuppa?!"

"Ugh Gary, please shut up, man."

Gary came over to him and handed him a coffee cup. "Thanks." He took a sip. "Ugh!" He started coughing and gagging, "What is that?!"

Gary grinned, "Pickle juice. Great for hangovers." 

Bobby looked down at the cup and he noticed his hand. He looked at it and read it outloud. "You broke up with her, you Idiot?" He looked up at Gary.

Gary looked uncomfortable, "You messed up, Mate."

Bobby tried to think about the night before. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒐? "FUCK!" 

He heard a laugh to his left. 

"Language. There are ladies around." Lucas offered Bobby a cup of coffee, he made a face."It's actually coffee not some weird hangover cure." 

"Thanks." He took a sip, it really was coffee. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝑮𝒐𝒅. He drank it quick and jumped to his feet. "I have to go talk to her."

Lucas crossed his arms and stood in his way, "Not right now. First, we talk."

Bobby sat back down and fell back onto the bed. "How bad is it?"

"How bad? Let's see, you drank an entire fifth of vodka, told her she wasn't ready for a relationship, broke up with her and she slapped you. Of course, that's just a summary."

"Damn it. I really fucked this up."

"Well, Vodka can do that. Lottie is also pissed at you so there's that."

"Oh God. Has she made a voodoo doll yet?"

Lucas laughed, "I don't think voodoo is her style." He sat down on the bed. "What all do you remember?"

Bobby tried to think about last night. "I remember Jakub." He rolled his eyes, causing his headache to throb,"and then I remember them saying you kissed her but she said it was nothing and you also said you know her from outside of here."

"And you didn't believe her? About the kiss?"

"Does it matter?"

"If you want to talk to her it does."

Bobby rubbed his face, "I don't even know what to believe. She got upset and she turned to you. Not me. That hurt me more than anything. Then I found out you knew her before being in here?" he shook his head, "Why did you keep it a secret? You said you didn't want to jeopardize our friendship but this fucking hurts, man. You should have just told me."

Lucas looked up as Veronica came outside with Lottie. "I saw her upset and I just followed her. I wanted to tell her first because I knew she didn't remember me. I can't tell you exactly what happened back then because that's hers to tell. Not mine. She was crying and I wanted to comfort her. I'm sorry I didn't tell you though. But you need to know, she's crazy about you."

Bobby watched her pour some coffee, "Then why won't she trust me?" he groaned, "Do you think she'll even talk to me?"

"There's only one way to find out. We need to get rid of her bodyguard though." He knew Lottie wouldn't let him get a word in. "I can help with that."

They both got up and walked towards the kitchen. When they got close enough, Bobby heard her and Lottie talking about something that made her laugh. God he loved that laugh. He hoped she'd want to talk.

"Hey Ronnie."

Veronica froze mid stir of her coffee. She looked at him and then looked away. She was still mad at him and hearing his voice just made her heart ache even more. She turned her entire body away from him.

"So that Jakub sure is fit, don't you think Lottie?"

"Oh yeah, totally."

She was trying to ignore him on top of pissing him off. It was working.

"Lottie. Let's go to the pool." Lucas grabbed her hand.

"I'd rather be here with Veronica."

Lucas whispered in her ear, "They really need to talk. I'm sure you could use a distraction?"

She bit her lip, then shot Bobby a death glare, "If you upset her again you'll deal with me." She walked away with Lucas.

"Well that was scary. Think she'll curse me or something?"

"Don't make fun of her. She cares for me, unlike someone else I know."

"I wasn't making fun of her. I'm just trying to get you to look at me."

She turned towards him, "Happy?"

"I'd be happier if all this was behind us. Can we talk?"

"Isn't that what we're doing?" She had one hand on her hip.

"I mean about last night." 

"Which part? When you broke up with me? Or about how you drowned yourself in alcohol?

He winced, "Babe, last night, I was a prick. I am so sorry."

She shook her head, "You think an apology will just fix this? You really hurt me."

"No, you're right, I fucked everything up but I never wanted to hurt you."

"Explain."

"What?" He was confused.

"Explain why you got so mad you decided we were over. That kiss meant nothing. It was on the cheek for crying out loud!"

"It's not just the kiss. I couldn't handle the fact that you found out Lucas knows you and you didn't even tell me about it." He took a minute to breathe, "I would never judge you. You should know that by now. Cara kept things from me all the time and you know what happened there. I thought we were past hiding things?"

She was getting upset. "You're comparing me to her?! Really? I have never cheated on you. You said I didn't have to talk about my past if I didn't want to. I didn't tell you about Lucas because it's personal."

Bobby was irritated, "So the things about Travis and Cara weren't personal? That makes no sense, Veronica! I did tell you that we didn't have to talk about our pasts but I thought the hideaway changed things, I'm your boyfriend now. You should be able to talk to me."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "No. You 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 my boyfriend but you fucked that up!"

He started to panic, "Babe, I said things last night that I didn't mean. I was so fucking drunk I don't remember anything after I walked away from the group! I was scared of the thought of losing you so I did something really fucking stupid."

"You were scared to lose me so you broke up with me? 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 makes no sense!" She turned to walk away but he stepped in front of her.

"Veronica please. I don't want to be without you. I was a selfish asshole. How many times can I say I'm sorry?"

She wasn't even listening to him, "You said I wasn't ready for a relationship! That hurt my heart. I also don't need to be with someone who runs to alchohol when he's upset. Travis was a pro at that. Every beating started with alcohol. I need a man in my life. Not a 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅."

That hit a nerve with him, he grit his teeth, "Don't call me a child! I'm a human, Veronica! I make mistakes! We both have inner demons, now suddenly that's a problem? You really think I'd ever hurt you? Like he did?! I would never treat you like that! That was also the first time I've gone to alchohol since Cara!" He closed his eyes trying to calm down, "Before last night, I had been sober for twenty six fucking months. I just want to know how you know Lucas. Not answering me makes me question everything. Why keep it from me?"

"There it is! You just can't trust me can you? You know what? I'm glad we're done!" she picked up her coffee, "I don't have time for this." and she walked away.

While they were arguing Jakub had come over. He whistled, "Messed that up huh?" He laughed. "Guess I better go check on her."

"I'd leave it alone mate." Gary was making another cup of tea. "She's just mad right now. She'll be ok."

Bobby couldn't be around the others. He walked off to be alone.

\-----------------

Tonya didn't sleep. Things were bad because of something she had done. She was pacing around her office trying to think of something to do to help fix the situation. She saw Rachel walk past the door way. 

"Rachel! Wait!"

She hesitated, "What's up? I'm running late."

"Don't worry about that. You follow the show right? You're a fan?"

"Yes?"

"I need your help. I really messed this up."

Rachel was confused, was she being tricked? "Messed up what?"

"Bobby and Veronica. Hunter just text me and said it doesn't look good."

She didn't believe her, "Why would you want to help now? All you've done is try to knock them down. Well congratulations, you finally did it." She hoped she didn't get fired for that but if she did at least someone had told Tonya the truth.

Tonya had tears in her eyes, "I know. I feel awful. It's going to take some time and I can't fix the other things I've done but I can fix this. I need some help. Please?"

Rachel looked at the producer. She looked like shit, "Ok fine, but I'm only doing this for Veronica and Bobby. What do you need?"

\------------------

Veronica couldn't believe how things had worked out. Her and Bobby were over. Her heart ached. She knew she needed to stop putting blame on him for things that Travis had done but didn't she deserve the same? Why couldn't he just understand she needed time to talk about it? She thought her most painful memory was safe but now she found out Lucas knew and Lottie knew a little bit based on the look she gave her last night. She had never even told Misty. Her phone dinged. It was Lottie.

𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚔? 𝙳𝚘 𝚠𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖?

Veronica didn't know what to say to that so she ignored it. She decided to hold her head up and act like she was fine. She knew how to pretend, she did it for years with Travis. Being with Bobby was just too difficult. Too real. She went to find the girls.

\-----------------

She called him a child. 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒔. Bobby hated himself. He broke up with her. All because he was jealous that she shared something with Lucas and not him. He looked over to where she was hanging out with the girls. She was laughing and didn't seem upset. He was thankful for that at least. Chelsea interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh yay!!! I got a text! I get to go on two dates!!" she looked at her phone again, "Oh, so do you Jakub! Come over here and we can pick together!"

Chelsea stood up and looked around the Villa. Half of the guys weren't even paying attention. 

"Henrik! Would you like to go on a date with me?"

Henrik stopped jumping rope and smiled. "Of course! Let's do this!"

She giggled. "Ok one more..... let's see...." her eyes landed on Bobby for a split second but she looked away, "Gary! Fancy a date?"

"Always love!" he looked excited. Hopefully his luck in here was changing.

Next it was Jakub's turn. He immediately picked Hope and there was some whispering among the girls. He seemed to be struggling with his second pick.

Lucas tried to help, "Who are you trying to decide between?" 

"Lottie and Veronica."

Bobby rolled his eyes, "Of course..." 

He meant to say it quietly but Jakub heard him and grinned. "Why don't I let them decide? Which one of you gorgeous women want to spend some time with me?" He puffed out his chest.

Veronica looked over at Lottie. She clearly didn't want to go and Veronica understood why, she had Lucas. 

She decided to volunteer, "I'd love to go, Jakub. Might as well have a bit of fun." She smiled at him but on the inside she was cringing. Jakub was definitely not her type.

Lottie leaned over and whispered, "What are you doing? I thought you talked to Bobby?"

"I did. It's over. I might as well accept that and get to know someone else."

Jakub laughed, "Well I can guarentee some fun." He winked at her.

\---------------

Veronica hadn't been on many dates. Travis never wanted to go out, but she knew this one was definitely up there on the bad dates list. Either Jakub was the biggest meathead in the universe or she was being pranked. God she hoped she was being pranked.

Jakub sipped his wine, "Ahhh, can't beat a good Shangri-La."

Veronica spit out her wine. She couldn't help but laugh. She looked at him expecting him to be laughing with her but instead he looked annoyed. 𝑩𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒅. She pulled that thought from her mind.

"It's a good thing you're sexy. Being spit on isn't my idea of a great date," he smiled, "At least not here at the table."

𝑬𝒘. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍. "Right. I thought you were joking. It's called sangria."

He just stared at her. Well. Everywhere but her face. She felt really uncomfortable. On her date with Bobby he had kept eye contact and actually listened to her. He treated her with respect unlike this guy. She decided to change the subject.

She cleared her throat. "So what do you do for fun?"

"If I say workout would you swoon?" He winked.

She fought off laughing again. 𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕? 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒚'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈...𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔... "No? Being fit isn't everything."

He chuckled, "Oh yeah. You like that little guy who tells jokes. What a waste. Someone as attractive as you should have a stallion, not a pony."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "If you're going to sit here and be a dick then I'm leaving." 

He leaned back into his seat and laughed. "Fiesty. I like that. I'm surprised you care though. Didn't he break up with you?"

She felt sad remembering last night and this morning. "What happened between me and Bobby is none of your business. We'll always be friends no matter what happens."

"Friends? With an ex? Sounds weird to me."

"Well it isn't. We were friends first so there's a connection." She was counting down the minutes until this date was over. She wished he would relax and have some fun. 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑩𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒚.

"Do you like protien powder?"

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. "I've never had it before."

"I love it! It helps me achieve my BDE." 

"BDE? What's that? Like, your muscle mass or something?" She was barely focusing on this guy

He chuckled, "Big Dick Energy baby." He winked.

𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒇. She was speechless. 

"This date has been great."

She blinked at him, "Has it? I had an interesting time, that's for sure, but great isn't the word I would use." 

They both stood up to leave. Jakub turned to kiss her but she turned her cheek to him and gave him an awkward hug. 

"Thanks for the date." 

She walked back to the Villa without him.


	13. Friends?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Listen, this is not Friend Island, Lottie and Lucas are goals and sprinkles can fix everything, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Reader: riversandroads01 💚  
> Love you!!!
> 
> Everything's gonna be alright  
> Everything's gonna be okay  
> It's gonna be a good, good life  
> That's what my therapists say
> 
> I'm a Mess // Bebe Rexha

"I understand Jakub taking Veronica on a date because she's single now but Hope? That's just weird."

Noah stepped in, "Just because Veronica and Bobby got into a disagreement last night doesn't mean anything. Besides, taking her out on a date right after it happened is really disrespectful."

"Disagreement? Mate, he broke up with her."

Bobby rolled his eyes, "I'm right here you know? I can hear everything you're saying."

Henrik shrugged his shoulders, "Still happened. She's fair game."

Lucas saw Bobby getting pissed. He decided to step in, "Hey. Lots of things were said last night. Doesn't mean any of it is set in stone."

Gary scoffed at that, "Says the guy who kissed her."

"It was innocent."

"Right."

"Enough of this. You guys are worse than the girls sometimes." Noah shook his head. "Who do we think Jakub really likes?"

"Veronica."

"Definitely Veronica."

Bobby sighed, "Yeah I agree with that."

Noah wasn't so sure, "Well I think he just wants to shake things up. He chose Hope who has obviously been with me since day one and then making Veronica and Lottie choose who wanted to go? That's just weird. If he really liked Veronica why not just pick her?"

"I agree. He's just trying to push people's buttons." Lucas couldn't imagine any of the girls actually liking Jakub.

"Hey boys! How's it going?" Veronica had joined them without their knowledge.

Bobby started to say 'hey beautiful' and kiss her but remembered that she wasn't his anymore. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒕.

Lucas hugged her, "Hey, so we're all dying to know how your date went."

Bobby glared at him. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈?

She decided to keep it vague, "I've had worse. I don't think he's Hope's type though so you're safe, Noah." She smiled.

"Hear that Noah? Worried about nothing." Bobby just wanted to talk to her again, even if it was about her date with someone else.

She gave him a sad look, "Actually, I need to talk to you Bobby. If you have time?"

"I always have time for a friend."

Lucas raised an eyebrow and mouthed, 'Friend?' Bobby just shrugged his shoulders.

Veronica was a bit shocked at that but recovered quickly, "Ok great. Beanbags?"

He smiled, "Beanbags."

As soon as they set down Veronica started talking.

"So I think it's important that we still remain friends. I don't want it to be awkward especially around the others. It's no one's fault that we didn't work out but this is where we are now." She crossed her arms.

Bobby had mixed emotions. He was glad she still wanted to talk to him but just friends? She was part of him now. He didn't think he could handle it but if that's what she wanted then he'd do it for her."That sounds great to me. We have a connection so why not just enjoy our time left in here having fun, right?"

"Exactly! I'm so glad you get it! We can still be in our couple right?" She was pretending to be happy but it hurt that he was so ok with it.

"Of course. That was the original plan."   
𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒋𝒐𝒌𝒆.

"Great! Thanks Bobby!" 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚.

There was an awkward silence.

"Well I'm going to go." He stood up and put his hands in his pockets, "See you around?"

She smiled, "Of course."

\-----------------

It had been four days since Bobby had broke up with Veronica. Noah, Henrik and Lucas were at the gym working out, but not in the physical sense. They were actually working out a plan to smack some sense into Bobby.

Lucas was irritated about the whole thing, "I'm not sure why he's acting like a damn fool. Everyone can tell she loves him and I know he feels the same. I'm honestly sick of it."

"I don't know, he was really quick to jump back into the friend zone with her. Maybe he just 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 he loved her?"

"I think Lucas is right. We all could see it in his eyes. I think we can't place all the blame on him though. She's trying really hard to convince herself she's fine."

Noah was right. Veronica had been smiling and laughing the whole time like she didn't have a care in the world. He could see it was messing with Bobby a lot but he was trying to cope with it. 

Henrik spoke up, "Not to sound like an ass but if you would just tell him everything about the beach hut I think things would go back to normal."

Lucas crossed his arms. He was getting tired of explaining the situation, "I wish I could. It's not mine to tell. It has to come from her. It's a personal matter and she's too damn afraid that he'll hate her for it."

Henrik and Noah eyed Lucas. Noah spoke first, "Lucas, I really respect your loyalty and I don't want to ruin that but before I agree to help, you have to promise me that you and Veronica never..... you know..... got together."

"Noah, I swear it's not that. I can tell you it involved the hospital. Where I worked and she was a patient. I don't have sex with my patients."

Noah studied his face for a good minute. He was telling the truth. No signs of being untruthful, "Ok. I believe you."

They looked at Henrik, who was smiling, "Buddy come on! You know I believe you. I'm in." He gave Lucas a bear hug.

\---------------

Veronica was in the kitchen laughing. Bobby was telling her a story while he cleaned up his mess. He had been baking a lot lately. It helped keep his mind off things.

"So, I obviously ran away. To my grandmother's." He laughed, "I was so upset. It was my first almost kiss and I tripped standing up and about knocked the poor girl out."

She smiled at him, "I think I'd like young Bobby. He sounds adorable."

"Oh yeah, you totally missed out. I was like a casanova with all the girls, until that night of course..."

"Oh of course!" She stuck a finger in the leftover icing. "You sure there isn't a prize for best buttercream?" she licked it off. "Cause you would totally win."

He had to compose himself before speaking, he swallowed, "There isn't one yet but I'm always on the lookout." He winked at her.

"So what happened next? Did she call you?"

"Veronica, we were kids. She told all her friends and they giggled at me for two weeks whenever they saw me."

"Yikes." She got off the stool and walked around to stand beside him. "Can I help dry?"

Being close to her still drove him crazy. "Miss Ronnie wants to dry dishes? How can I say no?" He tossed her the hand towel to use.

She made a show of pretending to roll up her sleeves. If they were still together he would lead her to the pantry and these stupid dishes could soak. He imagined turning her around and her wiggling out of that bikini bottom. Bracing herself against the shelves.

"Bobby? You ok?"

She brought him back to reality. "Yeah, fine." He shook his head, "So where were we?"

"You were saying all the girls giggled at you for two weeks."

"Oh right, my painful childhood, how could I forget." She slapped him with the towel. "Hey now! I'm the Captain of this kitchen, which is why I do the washing. You should stand down before you get thrown overboard."

She giggled and put a hand on his arm making him freeze. She turned to face him, "I love this. Me and you." She smiled, "friends." She said the last word and it hung in the air.

He faced her and tucked a hair behind her ear, she blushed. He took one finger and followed the curve of her chin. She closed her eyes and sighed, "Bobby...." it came out as a warning but with a touch of desire. As soon as he heard it he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he felt like he was finally home. She gave in for just a few seconds but then pulled away, "We can't.... we're friends..... right?" She searched his eyes for an answer begging for it to be 'No', to tell her they were still more than that.

He sighed, 𝑰 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔. He needed her in his life. That was the only reason he was even pretending to be 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔. If he wasn't such a coward he would just tell her he loved her and to hell with everything else, but saying it first always led him down a path of heartache. So, with a strength he didn't know he had left, he unhooked her arms from his neck and went back to washing dishes. "You're right, Ronnie. Friends only."

Somehow they had managed to finish the dishes without kissing again. He thanked her and she went to hangout with the girls.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lucas was setting at the bar with Noah and Henrik.

"Cleaning. I'm sure that's new to you Rich Boy but it's a thing that happens." Bobby was irritated with Lucas, the last four days he kept looking at him like he was an idiot. He wasn't wrong but it still pissed Bobby off.

"You doing alright?" Noah looked concerned.

"I'm fine. What's going on here?" He was looking between the three guys trying to figure out why they were looking at him like he was the last puppy left in the box. "What?"

Henrik walked over and put a hand on Bobby's shoulder, "Let's go have a chat, Buddy. On the roof."

"Oh Henrik, if you want a kiss all you have to do is ask..." 

Noah sighed, "Covering up everything with humor. Classic sign."

"What are you guys talking about?"

They led Bobby to the roof and shoved him aggressively towards the bench, "Sit down."

Henrik crossed his arms and leaned against the door. Blocking any escape.

"Is this a hit? Am I marked for murder?" Bobby was confused on what the hell was happening.

Lucas had heard enough, "Bobby shut it! You're going to listen to what we have to say."

Bobby was a little surprised. Lucas was normally not like this. "Ok...."

Noah crossed his arms. "It's been four days since Jakub got here and you know there's a recoupling soon."

Bobby waited for more....."Noah, is that it?" 

"No, that's not it." Lucas realised he'd have to do the talking, "You and Veronica need to stop skipping around like you're on Friend Island. It's clear how you both feel." Bobby went to talk but Lucas stopped him, "No, you'll have your turn. I think I know the problem. You're so afraid to say it first that you gave up. You used the beach hut as an excuse. You know that if she's keeping things from you she won't say it because she feels guilty. However, you're walking around scared to say anything because you always took the first step with Cara and that hurt. First one to ask her out, first one to say I love you, first to say Marry me..."

"Ok damn! We get it!" Bobby put his hand on the back of his neck, "Can you just leave it alone? I'm tired. I just want to stop dealing with this."

Lucas grabbed Bobby by the collar, "Fine. This is the last time any of us try to help you but you need to know, the recoupling is tomorrow and who do you think HE'S going to pick." Lucas pointed towards Jakub down on the lawn laughing with Veronica and the others. "If you're really done, that's your choice but accept it and stop moping around. It's not like she's miles away." He threw him back down on the bench.

\-------------------

"Do you think it'll work?" Tonya had just gotten an email from editing.

"I love it! It's amazing! We've never done anything like this on the show before." Rachel was tearing up.

"We might lose ratings but that doesn't matter. They matter."

Rachel shook her head, "I think you're wrong Tonya. I know they say 'drama sells' but this," she pointed to the computer screen, "This will make people happy. I think ratings will go up because of this."

"Actually, you're probably right." Tonya sighed, "Which is why we're not airing it."

"What? Why not?!"

"I've done a lot to add doubt and break them down. This is just for her."

"Wow Tonya, that's actually really amazing. I'm really proud of you."

Tonya smiled. "Thank you." No one knew everything she had done but this was her apology and she really hoped things would work out in the end.

\-------------

Bobby was trying to figure out how his experience on this show had turned out to be so messed up. He had been happy. He was in love for the first time in two years and because of one bad night it was ruined. Friends. He hated that damn word. Always the friend. They valued his friendship. Friend. Friend. Friend.

Veronica saw him for more than that and he got scared. Lucas was right. He had used the beach hut as an excuse. It had obviously upset him and caused him to drink but it was so easy to break up with her to escape the eventual outcome.

He saw Lucas laughing with Lottie over by the pool. He really needed to talk to him but he knew Lottie hated him right now and he didn't want to deal with that on top of everything else. He decided to get to bed early to prepare for tomorrow's episode of 'I'm in love with my best friend, staring Bobby McKenzie' when Lucas yelled out for him.

"Hey Bobby! Wait up!"

"Oh I was actually headed to bed."

Lucas made a face, "It's only eight. But I just wanted to see how you were feeling."

"Like shit." He laughed and shook his head, "I just wanted to say, you were right."

Lucas sat down, "About what?" 

"About using the beach hut as an excuse." He put his head down, "I can't believe things are so messed up. I kissed her today."

Lucas was surprised by that. "Did she kiss you back?" Bobby nodded. Lucas laughed, "Sorry! I'm not trying to be an ass. Bobby, if she kissed you back that's good! Veronica isn't the girl who goes around kissing just anyone. You need to go explain yourself again. She misses you."

He perked up when he heard that, "You think? But she said she just wanted to be friends."

"You both are suckers for punishment. She's clearly wanting you to fight for her. She's never had that before. You need to man up and go get your girl." 

Bobby smirked, "Thought you said you weren't going to help me anymore?"

Lucas looked over at Lottie who was staring at the sky, "I think some people are worth fighting for, don't you? Their insecurities and beliefs make them unique to us." He looked back at Bobby, "Besides, I have a bet with Lottie. My money's on you."

"A bet? I thought Lottie hated me?"

Yeah, on which one of you will say how you feel first." He smiled, "Lottie knows how Veronica feels about you so she'd never really hate you." 

Bobby stood up, smiling. "I'm going to go talk to her. But first, my girl needs a cupcake."

Lottie walked over after Bobby ran off. "You'll be disqualified from our bet if you help too much." She sat on his lap.

He wrapped his arms around her and smiled, "You'd disqualify me? You know I'm dying to watch 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' with you."

She made a face, "I can not 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 you think there's life out there."

He laughed, "You believe in tarot cards and fate. Why is 𝒎𝒚 hobby so weird?"

"Ok first off, tarot is not a 'hobby' it's a lifestyle and what's wrong with believing in fate?"

He kissed her on the forehead, he used to think fate was ridiculous. A person made their own destiny but when he was with Lottie things were different, "Nothing sweetheart, nothing at all."

\----------------

Veronica was lonely. That hardly happened in here but now she was single and she was giving Lucas and Lottie some alone time. They never got to really be alone. She was happy for them and they deserved it. She 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 go hang out with Bobby, they were still friends after all, but after the kiss earlier he had been avoiding her. Not to mention, they had a challenge earlier and it was about reading secrets. Chelsea was totes excited to read them all. She took the extras after the challenge and opened them. The last one was about Bobby. It said:

𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊 𝚋𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚞𝚙! 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝙱𝚘𝚋𝚋𝚢'𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛! #𝚘𝚑𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗𝚝 #𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚏

Veronica hugged him after it was read outloud and he kissed her on the temple before letting her go. Then he got into it with Hope since she had assumed that he was the reason for the wedding being called off in the first place. Hope wasn't one to back down and when Noah didn't stick up for her things only escalated. So now, everyone was in their own seperate corners of the Villa. 

There was a knock in the door way. It was Marisol.

"Hey, mind if I sit?"

"No, please! I was actually a bit lonely, you ok?"

Marisol was confused, "Yes, I'm good. Why do you ask?"

Veronica shrugged her shoulders, "We just haven't talked much."

"Well it's quite comical that you'd bring that up. That's why I'm here. To talk. If that's ok?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I've been watching you and Bobby. I'm confused on why you act like you're together but you aren't. Makes no sense at all."

"We decided to be friends. We have a great connection but we just didn't work out." She meant it to come out sounding like it was nothing but instead, her voice broke.

Marisol sighed, "The other day you told me that sometimes we find someone and they understand all of our flaws and you said that was a rare and beautiful thing."

Veronica waited for her to continue but she didn't. "Yes. I did say that. But I'm confused by why that matters."

"Well for me it really doesn't matter, at least in this moment. It should really matter to you though." Marisol put her hand over Veronica's. "You told me you had that with Bobby. Do you really think he wouldn't understand your past? Your flaws? Hemingway said that the best way to find out if you can trust somebody 𝒊𝒔 to trust them." she laughed, "Sometimes it really is just that simple."

Veronica stared at Marisol. "Wow...... I don't really know what to say to that." Marisol actually had a good point. How could she know he'd leave if she never gave him a chance to know what the problem was?

"That's ok. Trusting someone is really scary. You know that. But not everyone is Travis. Some people are Bobby." She smiled and got up.

"Hey Marisol?" 

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

She sat in silence thinking about what she had just heard. Marisol made sense but Veronica felt like she had really messed things up telling Bobby she wanted to go back to friends only. She knew from experience how hurtful words could be and sometimes you couldn't go back.

As she wrestled with what to do she decided to go find Lottie to get another opinion. Lottie would he honest with her.

As she rounded the corner before entering the kitchen she ran into Jakub.

𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒎 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆?

"Oh, sorry Jakub, excuse me..." she tried to step around his massive frame but he put an arm around her. She tried to remove it but he was solid.

"You look gorgeous tonight Veronica."

"Thank you, that's really nice of you but I'm actually going to see someone."

"Right. Listen, I just wanted to finish what we started on our date the other day. You drive me crazy."

"What are you talking about?" 

To her right she heard Bobby, "Hey has anyone seen Veron-"

Jakub had picked her up and pulled her into a kiss. It was slobbery and he tasted like his nasty ass protien drinks. She finally wiggled free but it was too late. Bobby was standing there looking at them.

"Bobby...... no....."

He didn't speak. He was in shock. 𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏. He laughed to himself sadly, "I'm happy for you." He slowly handed the plate to her, which held a single cupcake with sprinkles on top. He gave a small smile and whispered, "Sprinkles, am I right?" then he walked past them to the bedroom in a daze.

"Why would you do that?!" She shoved Jakub but he didn't budge.

"Whoa, calm down, Wildcat." he smirked.

"Wildcat?! You don't get to call me a nickname!"

She went upstairs and crawled into bed. The lights were out but Bobby wasn't there. She cried herself to sleep for the first time in the Villa.

\--------------------

Lottie woke Veronica up by flicking water on her face.

"What the hell, Lottie?!"

"Shhh, it's early! I need to read some tea leaves. Something's off today"

"What does that have to do with me?" 

"Seriously? This Villa revolves around you and Bobby. Now come on. I'm tired of whisper shouting at you." She turned and walked downstairs.

Veronica laid in bed for a few more minutes. Her eyes were sore from crying so much last night. She felt movement to her left. Bobby had come to bed at some point last night. She had to fight the urge to kiss his cheek and tell him that Lottie was being crazy. She didn't know what else to do. Nothing in here was going her way anymore. 

She got out of bed and found Lottie at the bar. She sat down and happily took the tea from her.

"Mmmm, I needed this." Veronica sighed and sank down into her seat.

Lottie was staring her down.

"What? What's wrong?"

"What is going on with you? I thought you loved Bobby?"

Veronica was not ready for this conversation, "I never said that."

"Babe, you don't have to. It's all over your face." She sighed, "I'm sorry I told you he wanted to have kids. I didn't know you couldn't."

Veronica smiled sadly, "It's not your fault. But when I found out I thought, how selfish of me to be with someone who wants something I could never give them."

Lottie hugged her, "There are other options out there. There's adoption, surrogacy," she pulled back from the hug and looked at her, "I've also heard of people being told they couldn't have children but they still do."

She sighed, "So what do I say? Hey Bobby, I'm madly in love with you and I've been told I will most likely never have a child but we should totally waste your time and try anyway? We haven't even known each other that long. Most people are together months sometimes years before that stuff comes up."

Lottie was irritated. "Do you really think Bobby would think you're wasting his time? You have someone amazing who would do anything for you and you're being selfish! Kissing Jakub?"she shook her head.

Veronica was hurt, "I didn't want to kiss him! He's huge! I couldn't escape! How do you know about that anyway?"

"Oh....well...." she lowered her voice, "You can 𝒏𝒐𝒕 tell Lucas I told you but Bobby was a mess last night. I've never seen him like that. He was heartbroken and pissed at Lucas."

"Why would he be mad at Lucas?" 𝑩𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏?

"Because Lucas told him that you were doing the whole friends thing because you wanted him to fight for you. He was going to talk to you last night."

"Talk to me about what? He agreed to being friends."

She rolled her eyes, "Veronica, I love you but you are really blind. Of course he agreed! What was he supposed to do? Never talk to you again? He's crazy about you. He made a mistake, babe. It happens. You can't run every time something bad happens."

"Marisol told me that it's not fair to think he won't understand. She said I just have to trust him and tell him. But I'm scared. The last night I saw Travis, he ruined the last good thing I had and I'm worried that I'm beyond repair now. Every time I call Bobby my friend, it hurts but at the same time, it feels good. How fucked up is that?"

"It feels good because it feels 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆. Don't do this."

"Where's all this logic coming from?"

She blushed, "Lucas can make a good argument."

Veronica giggled. "Uh huh. I bet it's 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕."

"Ok this isn't about us. It's about you and your guy. Now. Give me your cup. The recoupling is tonight. Time to read these leaves."


	14. When the Cat's Away...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disaster Recoupling is here. What will happen? Nothing good I'm sure. Also. Casa has arrived 🙏

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Reader: riversandroads01 💚
> 
> To my Beta, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!! You're seriously the best. 🥺
> 
> Also, to you, reading this. Thank you and you are amazing! I write because I love it but the support you've showed me has meant so much! ❤ 
> 
> This Chapter has the beginnings of Casa. Not going to lie, I'm the girl slapping my screen for 10 minutes trying to get out when I play the game, so I made it better. Love ya!
> 
> Even if you see my scars  
> Even if I break your heart  
> If we're a million miles apart  
> Do you think you'd walk away?  
> If I get lost in all the noise  
> Even if I lose my voice  
> Flirt with all the other boys  
> What would you say?
> 
> Love Me Anyway // P!nk, Chris Stapleton

"Ladies. I'm worried about tonight." Lottie was twisting a tissue in her hand.

"Why? I think it'll be fine." Priya was feeling really confident. She had pulled Henrik to the side and he had said he wanted to pick her.

"I read tea leaves this morning and it did not go well." Lottie glanced at Veronica. The reading had been, in Lottie's words, just awful. Apparently no one would be happy tonight.

"Who are you picking Chelsea?"

Everyone looked at her. She blushed. "Oh I'm not sure I should say."

"Why not? Are you planning on picking someone you shouldn't?" Hope was angry.

Chelsea huffed, "You mean Noah? Your couple is safe, Hope. If you girls have to know, I'm picking Henrik." 

𝑵𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. 

Priya rounded on her, "Henrik?! He said he's picking me!"

Marisol jumped in, "I was actually hoping he'd pick me. I'm in a couple with Lucas right now and obviously that's not going to go anywhere," she smiled at Lottie.

"Chelsea, can't you pick Gary? Please?" Priya was desperate.

"Babe, I really like you but he's the only one I've connected with in here!"

Veronica didn't want any part of this drama. Her brain was tired from drama. A phone dinged.

"It's time ladies!" 

\-------------

Chelsea was standing in front of the fire pit. She looked nervous. It was a weird look for her, she was usually so cheerful. Veronica figured it was because of the conversation earlier. 

"Ever since coming in here the other night you all have been so welcoming." She smiled at the group, "But one special guy has went out of his way to make me feel extra welcome." She winked at someone, "So the guy I'm choosing to couple up with is....... Henrik!"

Henrik smiled and gave her a big hug, twirling her around which made her laugh. They sat down. They were actually cute together. 

Priya rolled her eyes, "Really?" 

Bobby squeezed Veronica's hand. He wasn't really paying attention to the recoupling. He was mostly trying to calm his breathing. He had a speech ready to go. To tell her how much she meant to him. He hoped she really felt the same even after last night. Jakub stood up.

"This girl is fire. She's a sassy little thing and loads of fun." He licked his lips and caught Veronica's eye, "I don't think she has been treated as well as she should be in here so I'm not surprised I'll have to step in and get the job done. The 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 that I'm choosing is......... Veronica."

There were gasps and Veronica was pissed. Bobby went to stand up but she grabbed his arm, "Please don't." She managed to put a smile on her face and walked over to Jakub. "Thank you for picking me." She went to hug him but he picked her up and kissed her full on. He sat her back down, slapped her ass and they took a seat.

Bobby was trying to remain calm. He wanted to punch that smug look off of Jakub's face. 𝑰'𝒎 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒏. He looked at Veronica, she seemed a little shocked. She met his gaze and smiled sadly at him.

Now the rest of the guys just had to wait for their turn to choose. Noah's phone went off.

"I don't think this will come as a surprise to anyone. I've been with this girl since Day one and we've had a great time together. I am choosing to couple up with..... Hope."

Hope smiled and ran into his arms kissing him all over his face.

Everyone clapped politely. Bobby's phone signaled that it was his turn. He got up and faced the group.

"Well, this is not the speech I was going to give tonight. I'll just save that one for another time." He sighed but then pulled himself together and smiled. "The girl I'm picking tonight has been a little closed off and she has had a rough go at relationships so far. I'm sorry to say that this will not become anything other than a friendship but I think she'll understand." He smiled at the girls. "So, without further ado, I choose Marisol." He pointed at her and offered his hand. She took it and gave him a hug. 

Gary's phone dinged as soon as they sat down.

"Right. Well, seeing how things are going, I'm going to help a friend. She's been mislead by a guy in here who obviously likes someone else." Gary glared at Lucas, he still believed something had happened between Lucas and Veronica, "I choose Lottie."

Veronica couldn't help it, she spoke outloud, "Holy Shit, Gary!"

Lucas joined her, "What the hell, Gary?" He clenched his fists, "I've tried to stay calm in this place but you're really testing my patience. Nothing is going on between me and Veronica."

Veronica felt so guilty. If she would just tell her secret, things would be cleared up. Why was it so hard to talk about even after a year? 

She willed herself to speak, "Stop! Just stop." Everyone looked at her. "That's it! I'll tell everyone what happened. All of it." Her voice broke. "This is all my fault." 

Lucas went to her and hugged her, "No it's not. He can believe what he wants to believe. Lottie and I haven't been in a couple yet but we're still together, right Lottie?" 

She nodded, "Veronica, it's fine. There will be other recouplings. I expected this, remember?"

Gary huffed, "No. I think she should tell us. Get it out."

"ENOUGH!" Bobby couldn't take this shit anymore. "If they say nothing happened then nothing happened. Let it go."

"Mate, you broke up with her over it. Have you let it go?"

"Veronica and I broke up because I'm an idiot. I panicked and I made a rash decision." He looked her in the eyes, "A decision that was the biggest mistake of my life. But I was too late to realise that and I have to live with the consequences. She deserves the world and I hope she finds that. Either in here or in the real world." He walked off.

Everyone was silent. Veronica couldn't believe what Bobby had said. 𝑩𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆? 

Jakub broke the silence. "That was awkward."

Lucas turned toward Priya, "It's my turn. This girl has always been friendly towards me and others. I hope she finds someone soon who sees how special she is. The girl I want to couple up with is Priya."

Priya walked up to Lucas and hugged him. "Thanks, babe."

Everyone started to go their own way now that the disaster of the recoupling was officially over. Lottie walked over to Veronica and hugged her, "Go talk to him."

Bobby was making hot chocolate when she found him. She loved watching him in the kitchen. He was so focused. She hopped up on the counter and cleared her throat to get his attention. 

He looked over at her, "Do you like hot chocolate?"

"Who doesn't?"

"I'd say people who are extremely unhappy or weirdos." He stood across from her leaning against the opposite counter. "Hey."

"Hey." She sighed, "So tonight was..... complicated."

"Why do you say that? You and Jakub make a great couple. I'm really happy for you." He had to stop himself from sounding upset.

She looked down. "Bobby. Stop it. I'm talking about what you said. Just be honest." She met his eyes, "Did you mean it?"

𝑫𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒖𝒑. He sighed,"I meant every word." He walked towards her, "I miss you. I miss us."

Before she could respond she heard laughing. She looked over to see Jakub talking to Chelsea. She groaned as he approached. Bobby noticed that.

"Hey Jakub! Care for a hot chocolate?"

He made a face. "Never liked the stuff."

Veronica and Bobby laughed.

"What's the joke?!" Chelsea wanted in on it too.

"We just think it's weird to not like hot chocolate." Veronica smiled 

"Oh I agree! I love my hot chocolate with cute little marshmallows!" Chelsea was too cute for her own good.

Jakub was annoyed. "Well I think it's weird for a guy to bake."

Bobby clenched his hands into fists. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒈𝒖𝒚. Veronica jumped down off the counter and put a hand on Bobby's arm. That calmed him down.

She shot a look at Jakub, "That was rude. You need to apologize to him."

Jakub chuckled "I like you Wildcat. Let's get to bed." He looked her up and down and winked.

She cringed on the inside, "Yeah, in a minute." She turned back to Bobby, "Can we please talk more tomorrow?" He nodded.

\------------------

Veronica woke up to a text. She didn't get much sleep. Jakub kept stealing the covers and she had to constantly slap his hand away almost every hour. 

She looked at her phone. It said the girls were taking a 'mini break' 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏? It also said that they shouldn't wake the guys. She removed the comforter and slowly eased out of the bed. Then tiptoed to the dressing room with the others.

"Where do you think we're going?" Hope was holding up different bikini tops trying to decide which one to wear. 

"Oh!! I have an idea!" Chelsea was hopping up and down.

Marisol looked at her, "Hun, you don't have to raise your hand. You're free to speak openly."

Chelsea laughed, "Oh right!! Sorry! I bet it's Casa!!!" She squealed and stomped her feet.

Veronica hardly watched the show. "Casa? What is that?"

Lottie rolled her eyes, "It's like an entirely new Villa. With new guys." She was not excited.

Veronica was freaking out, "Wait? Leave the Villa? For how long?"

"It's usually for a handful of days." Priya shrugged.

"Days?!" Veronica did not like that. Being without Bobby for days? They needed to talk. "The guys will be upset."

Hope laughed, "They'll be fine without us for a few days." 

Veronica was a little shocked that Hope was ok leaving Noah.

"It's just for some innocent drama."

Veronica sighed, "I guess." She couldn't leave without saying goodbye to Bobby. She snuck out of the dressing room.

"Hey, Bobby..." she was trying to not wake the others

Bobby grinned but kept his eyes closed. "Couldn't wait for our talk?"

She frowned, "I'm afraid I'll have to take a rain check."

He opened his eyes when he heard that. "Why?"

She sat on the edge of his bed, "We're going to be gone for a few days. Just us girls. Chelsea says it's another Villa."

He rubbed his face, "You mean Casa Amor?"

She giggled. "How do you know about that?"

He laughed quietly, "My grandmother loves this show. Watches every season."

"Your grandma is the cutest."

"She'll like that." He sat up, "Can we talk now?

"We don't have a lot of time."

He put his hand on her cheek. "I should have never ruined things between us."

She closed her eyes and covered his hand with hers. He leaned forward and kissed her. She grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him back urgently. She took his hand and moved it down to her side. He squeezed her waist to stop her, "We don't have time to talk but we have time for that? I'm a little insulted."

"Bobby, I-" 

"Veronica!" Lottie was searching for her, "The cars are here. We have to go."

She kissed him one last time, "I'm going to miss you."

He booped her on the nose. 

\-----------------

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?"

"Tonya calm down. You're not being fired just..... replaced."

She shook her head, "I don't understand! Why?"

"Well, it might have something to do with this." The man held up a flash drive. "You're getting too involved. Emotionally."

"Where did you get that?" It was the video that she had editing put together for Veronica. Her apology.

He sighed, "Tonya, if emails go out I get a copy. I represent the studio. I'm above everyone. Including you."

"I really messed things up and I need to fix it. This won't give her an advantage."

"Veronica and Bobby were the most popular couple we've had. When they broke up ratings exploded. You know how important drama is in these shows."

"So, you'll allow drama to be brought in but not if it would help someone?"

"Tonya, this isn't drama. It's fluff." He sighed, "I can't sit here and argue with you. We're bringing Josh in to fill your spot. You can go now." He waved towards the door.

"Josh?! He'll turn that place upside down!"

"And? It's television. These people will be forgotten in a few months. I have a meeting. Go."

Tonya left the office to go find Josh. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉! He lived for drama. Last season he had been responsible for the infamous Cherrygate that broke up a fan favorite couple, He rigged the lie detector test and he even brought an ex of one of the islanders in. She pulled her phone out.

"Hunter! We have a problem, I need to talk to your friend in editing...." she heard laughter in the background of the call, "What's going on?"

"Tonya! Guess who's back? Josh! He's got some great ideas!"

She grit her teeth. "I bet he fucking does. Tell him not to leave. I'm on my way."

\-----------------

Casa Amor was a horrible place. 

Ok not really, but Veronica hated it so we do too! Do I have to write it? Fuck, Tonya says yes...fiiine....here we go.

Chelsea was, you guessed it, excited.

"Wooo! Girls on Tour! Girls! Girls! Girls! I'm so excited!"

"You know Chelsea, I am also pretty excited. Time to take control of the game in a positive way!" 

"Wow Marisol, where is this confidence coming from? I love it!" Veronica was happy for her.

"I'm not sure. I'm just ready to have some fun."

"I agree, we should all have some fun."

Lottie rolled her eyes, "Hope. What is going on with you? Trouble in paradise?"

Hope shot her a look, "Noah and I are great. I just think we should enjoy our time even away from the guys."

"Well, I really don't want to be here." Veronica pouted.

"Awww Babe, you missing Jakub?" Chelsea hugged her.

"Uhhhhh. What? That's a hard NO."

"Chelsea hun, she's obviously missing Bobby." 

"Yeah Priya's right, Veronica didn't get to talk to him and now we're here." Lottie looked at her phone, "Oh I got a text. It's time to meet the new guys."

The girls were told to stand by the pool and wait. The guys would come out one at a time.

A door opened and the first guy came out. His name was Felix and he came off as way too confident. Veronica thought he was way too much of a lad and he also reminded her of that hobbit....Frodo's loyal friend..... Sam? A boy named Kassam was next. He was definitely interested in Lottie.

A guy named Graham stepped out. He had his arms crossed and he honestly reminded Veronica of a moody Gary. Then there was some guy named Andy? Arjun? He wasn't very interesting. Neither was the next boy, Carl.

But the sixth boy. He 𝒘𝒂𝒔 interesting. He walked out with full confidence. He looked straight at Veronica and smiled, "Hey ladies! My friends call me Jonno." He winked at Veronica. She had heard that name before but it had to be a coincidence.

All the girls started talking to the guys. 

"Who do you all have your eyes on?"

Kassam said he wanted to get to know Lottie. Arjun or Andy said Veronica..... and Priya...... and Lottie. Everyone else said Veronica except Jonno. He just said they were all lovely.

Chelsea ran to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of bubbly. "Let's get this party started!" Everyone cheered.

Lottie got a text telling them they were going to do a little speed dating. Veronica groaned. 𝑪𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒐 𝒂 𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒂 𝑹𝒖𝒏? She was dreading the idea of being here for four days.

As the night ended, Veronica found herself alone by the pool. Jonno came over. He sat next her and nudged her with his shoulder. "How are you doing with all this?"

"What? Being here?"

"Yeah, away from Bobby."

"It's honestly horrible. Last night at the recoupling....well he really regrets what happened, I do too. I miss him." 

He nodded, "Makes sense. You guys seem great together."

"Thank you." She smiled at him. "Sorry to pry but I have to know. Do you know Bobby? From outside of here?"

Jonno laughed. "Yeah, you could say that."

Veronica jumped up, "Yes, I knew it! That's so cool!" She hugged him.

"So how about that speed dating huh?"

"Ugh I know. I hated it. The guys seem nice but...."

"They aren't Bobby."

She blushed, "yeah. They're also extremely confident. I mean, I just met everyone."

"Hey Veronica, can I talk to you?" Lottie was eyeing them both.

"Sure." She turned to Jonno, "Talk later ok?" He nodded and walked away to join the others.

"He seems nice."

"He really is! He's Bobby's friend!" Veronica was thrilled. She wouldn't have to feel awkward in here now.

"Really? That's a crazy coincidence. Did he tell you that?"

"I know right? Yeah, I asked if he knew Bobby and he said yes."

"Well at least your decision won't be hard."

Veronica was confused, "What decision?"

"We have to choose a guy to share a bed with. I guess I'm choosing Kassam. He seems nice but I'm not looking."

"I hope it goes fast in here."

Lottie laughed. "You and me both."

\-------------

"Wait a minute. What happened to the Elijah guy?"

Hunter was texting on his phone. "Oh Josh wanted him replaced. Said he spent too much time with Arjun. We replaced him with Jonno."

Tonya was confused, "And Jonno knows Bobby?"

"Yeah, Josh said it would be good to give Veronica someone so she could actually enjoy her time here and not miss him too much."

"That's nice of him...." 𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒉 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒆.

"Mmmhmm." Hunter was lost in his text.

Josh came into the room. "Ok, how is everything looking? Good?"

Tonya waved him over to her, "What's going on?"

"I'm running a show."

"You reached out to Jonno?"

"Oh, yeah, we reached out to him for Veronica. You said you wanted to help her so, this is my way. She won't mope around in here now."

\-----------------

"What a damn mess!" Misty had just finished watching the latest episode with Veronica's parents.

"It's definitely not going their way, is it?" Veronica's dad was doing his crossword puzzle.

"I just don't understand why she won't tell Bobby about what happened. Veronica very rarely keeps secrets." 

"Mrs. P, we have to trust her." Misty actually agreed with Veronica's mom but she knew if Veronica was keeping it to herself after all this time, it was something painful. Could it really just be the fact that Lucas saw her so vulnerable? She only told her about Travis because she couldn't hide the bruises anymore. 

"I know dear, you're right. It's just so unfair! They can't even talk now." 

"He booped her! You know he loves her. They're just two scared Idiots right now." Misty needed to tell the Palmers about Lucas, "But I need to tell you all something."

"What is it dear?"

"Veronica might be avoiding the topic of the beach hut because Lucas was there for THAT night. The last night."

Mrs. P put a hand to her heart. "Oh, my poor girl. Are you sure? It does make sense though why she's so scared. She hates looking weak."

"I'm one hundred percent sure. He calmed me down that night. I've always believed that night changed her. I guess knowing you almost died changes a person. After that night she would have panic attacks over anything and everything."

"I know. I remember one night, she called me before bed and just kept apologizing to me. Saying she ruined everything. I told her she was my heart outside my body and I would always love her no matter what." Mrs. P was crying. Misty walked over and hugged her.

"It's ok. She has a great guy now, even if they had a disagreement as that Noah guy called it. Everything is extra stressful in there. She's got this."

\----------------

The guys had woke up to squealing. The new girls were extremely excited to be in the Villa. Bobby smiled to himself thinking of his morning with Veronica. She definitely wanted to be with him. As soon as he saw her again he would tell her how much he loved her. She needed to know. He couldn't wait to see her again.

"Where are the girls?" 

"Don't you hear them?"

Gary walked in from outside, "Those are different girls, mate."

The guys ran down to greet them. Except for two. Bobby and Lucas stayed upstairs.

"Nice speech last night."

"Thanks. It wasn't the one I rehearsed twenty times in the mirror but it got me a goodbye this morning so it must have got through to her." Bobby was grinning.

"I'm glad." Lucas stopped to listen to more squealing, "Think they'd miss us if we just stayed here?"

As if they were summoned the new girls burst through the door of the bedroom.

"O M G!!!! Lucas!!! You're real!!!" She hugged him

His voice was muffled, "Thank you for confirming that."

The girl laughed, "You are so sweet!!" She turned to face Bobby, "And you. Can't wait to get to know you better." She winked.

"Emily stop! You're freaking them out. I'm Shannon by the way."

"I'm Siobhan and this is Blake."

Blake looked at Bobby and smiled. "Good morning Bobby. Sleep well?"

The other two girls just stood in the corner giggling. 

"You two ok?" Bobby gave them an amused look. They both turned red and ran out of the room. 

Shannon sighed, "We better go get them before they start squealing again."

The girls walked out.

Lucas looked at Bobby, "Wow. They're...... excitable."

The guys walked in, "There you two are! We got a text. We have to pack suitcases for the girls. Our girls."

Bobby groaned, "Guess we better get started." He went into the dressing room to pack for Marisol. He had no clue what she'd want.If he was packing for Veronica he'd know what to pack. She loved her green bikini. He called it her Princess Leia outfit. God, she was beautiful. He brought himself back to reality. He threw in some swimming suits from Marisol's closet and a nice dress then he remembered she enjoyed his chocolate chip muffins so he ran down to the kitchen to grab a few. Muffins traveled well.

Emily was sitting in the living room. She stood up as soon as she saw him. "Oh Bobby! Fancy meeting you here!"

He laughed, "Right? Besides the fact I technically live here it's such an odd coincidence."

She didn't get the joke.

She giggled and twirled her hair, "Right?! So, you're single..... and I'm single.... wanna mingle?" She gave him what he imagined she thought were bedroom eyes.

𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔? "Am I single? I wasn't aware."

She huffed, "You broke up with Veronica."

"I had a fight with Veronica. Things were said but I still care for her."

She rolled her eyes, "Well you have four days to get to know 𝒎𝒆 now." She grinned.

"I'm trying to be respectful here and I don't want to come off as a dick, but nothing is going to happen. Ok?"

She laughed, "Yeah ok...." and walked off with a wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I love you and thanks for reading!


	15. ....The Mice Will Play?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos, Chaos, Chaos. The girls get a look at what happens when they're gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Reader: riversandroads01 💚  
> Thank you for listening to all the different ways this could have gone 💚
> 
> Guys. This chapter. Well, you'll see.
> 
> What hurts the most  
> Was being so close  
> And having so much to say  
> And watching you walk away  
> And never knowing  
> What could've been  
> And not seeing that love in you  
> Is what I was trying to do
> 
> What Hurts the Most // Rascal Flatts

It was day two without Veronica and Bobby was trying to stay busy. 

"Hey man, what's," Lucas looked around the kitchen, "Are you ok?"

Bobby was covered in flour and there were broken eggs everywhere. "Yeah, why?"

"Well..you've made, what five...." the oven buzzed, "I mean, six dozen cupcakes?"

Bobby glanced around the kitchen, "Oh, well...Gary was hungry so I thought, why not be prepared for later."

"Right..... That's logical."

"Hey Bobby! Ohhh, cupcakes! For us?! That is the sweetest!" Emily grabbed one.

"Actually, they're for Gary." Emily had been following him around like a crazy person. He thought he had made it clear to her that he wasn't interested. She seemed like a sweet girl but he was already taken, even if they weren't back together just yet.

Lucas laughed at that and Emily looked sad, "Oh."

Bobby felt bad, "Which means you better grab what you can. He'll be here soon." She laughed.

"Any sprinkles?" She winked at him.

He laughed, "I'm sure we have some in the pantry. I'll go look." 

"I'll help you." She got up and followed him, shutting the door behind them.

Lucas did not trust these girls. They were desperate to stay in the Villa at any cost. Which was bad. He started to get up and go save Bobby from what was bound to happen next when he heard a shout.

"What are you doing?! I told you I'm with Veronica!"

"Oh please! She's playing you! Everyone can see it!"

Bobby pulled the door open and stepped back outside. "You've only seen what this damn show wants you to see! I'm trying to be nice but it's not going to happen."

Emily glared at him, "You don't think she'll meet someone in there? Don't be stupid." She stormed off hollering for a girls meeting.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Girl's meeting? Guess we won't be invited." He laughed, "I was about to come save you from that."

Bobby sat down, "She's a bit grabby. Be careful around her."

Lucas laughed, "Damn. She's not wasting any time I guess?"

They heard giggling and saw the two girls from yesterday who never introduced themselves

Bobby gestured toward them, "What were their names again?"

Lucas shrugged. "Am I an ass if I say, I don't really care?" They both laughed 

Bobby shook his head. "Is it only day two? I can't do this."

"Sure you can. Just have fun. You know, jokes, laughs. You're focusing too much on missing her. They'll be back soon."

\---------------

Last night before going to bed the girls found suitcases packed by their partners. Veronica's had a protein bar with a note that said, 'For that BDE' she also found an extremely oversized white shirt that Jakub had wrote 'Wildcat' on with a sharpie. She threw both in the trash. 

Currently she was sitting by the pool listening to the guys talk about how they pick up women. Clubs, dating apps, nothing too unusual. Arjun used dogs which Veronica thought was cheesy but also cute. It was Jonno's turn. He looked uncomfortable.

"Oh well, I've been busy volunteering at the homeless shelter lately. I like knowing they'll get a home cooked meal. But when I am looking for a lady I normally look online. I don't like one night stands. Looking to settle down."

Veronica smiled at him. He was different than how Bobby described him. She had imagined he'd be more relaxed, similar to Bobby. She got a text.

"Guys! Text! It says we are competing against the Villa for cocktails!"

"Wooo! Let's do this girls!'

"Drinks Drinks Drinks!"

"So we just wait?"

The first text came through. "The shortest girl has to kiss the tallest guy!"

"I'm the shortest!" Marisol walked up to Graham, "and you seem to be the tallest." She kissed him and everyone cheered 

A few texts later, Veronica had to make someone blush. She chose Jonno because she figured since he was friends with Bobby it would be easy.

She straddled his lap and whispered in his ear, "That swinging bed looks like fun. Meet me there after this challenge?" He instantly went red. "Yes!! Too easy!" The girls high fived.

\---------------

Bobby was actually enjoying himself. These texts were hilarious. It was a nice distraction from missing Veronica. Gary gave some poor girl a lap dance and Lucas had to kiss a girl for a certain amount of time. That one wasn't as funny but Bobby tried to make light of it.

"That's how you kiss? Poor Lottie. Good thing for you she's not into voodoo."

Lucas shot him a look but laughed, "She hasn't complained yet."

The girl chimed in, "I'm not complaining either."

Lucas rolled his eyes, "Right, who's next?"

Bobby got a text. "Give a piggyback ride to someone." 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔.

Emily jumped up. "Oh me!!"

"Actually, I'll do it." Blake was smiling slyly. "You did the underwater kiss, Emily."

Emily pouted, "Fine."

Blake jumped on Bobby's back and he ran her straight into the pool making everyone laugh except for her. She was pissed. 

"What's the matter, Blake? Think you might melt from a little water?" Bobby was trying to joke with her but she didn't seem to care. 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒅.

All of a sudden her frown turned into a smile and she faked a laugh. "Geez Bobby, just warn me next time you feel like making me wet." She winked at him

There were a few more things to do, including suck on someone's toes. Bobby loved that, he chose Gary just to freak him out, then the last text was seven minutes in a closet. Jakub volunteered immediately followed by Siobhan. 

While they were waiting, Blake came over and poked Bobby in the ribs. "I hope you didn't think I was mad at you. I just like to know what's going to happen."

"That's very..... calculated. Where's the fun in that?" He smiled at her. She looked a bit like Veronica. Only, her smile didn't melt his heart.

"Well, maybe you can help me loosen up a little." She ran her nails down his neck and back leaving cold chills. 

He stood up fast and changed the subject, "Hey, what's taking Jakub so long? He go to Narnia or something?"

Almost instantly, Jakub came around the corner with a smug look on his face while Siobhan was fixing her top. 

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈? Bobby knew how this show worked. People were going home after Casa Amor. He didn't want Veronica to be in danger. Lucas put a hand on Bobby's shoulder sensing his anger.

"Let it go. He's not worth it."

\-----------------

"We won girls!"

"Drinks Drinks Drinks!" 

"Chelsea, babe, calm down." Priya liked people who were excited but Chelsea was on a whole different level.

All the girls went to get dressed for their party. Veronica was ready before everyone else so she went down to wait on the lawn. She just wasn't feeling the fun of Casa like the others.

"Hey Veronica, gorgeous as usual."

"Oh thank you, Andy!"

"Actually....it's Arjun."

"Right..... sorry..." 𝒂𝒘𝒌𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅...

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you. You're stunning and I'd really like to get to know you more. How about you switch to me and lose Jonno."

Veronica laughed, "Look, 𝑨𝒓𝒋𝒖𝒏. I get it. Your goal is to get back to the Villa but Bobby and I still have something and I would never jeopardize that. Plus Jonno has just been a friend to me."

"I understand you Veronica but you're not coupled up with Bobby right now, are you? No. You're with Jakub. You think he'll keep you safe? Please.....you're not that naive, are you?"

Veronica thought about what he just said. She honestly didn't think Jakub would keep her safe. 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒕. She hadn't considered that. She was just desperate to get back.

"Let's party girls!" Priya grabbed the drinks and started handing them out.

"And guys!" 

"Oh right." Priya giggled 

They all had a great time. They danced and drank and then everyone shared a bad date story. Veronica used her date with Jakub as her example.

Things started to wind down and Veronica went to find Lottie. She was sitting with Priya and Chelsea. 

"Hey girls! Having a good time?"

"Oh Veronica!!! The bessssst!! I just love you girls soooooo much!!!"

Veronica looked at Lottie, "Did you give her the entire bottle?"

Lottie laughed, "The girl's a light weight. Chelsea, come sit down." She patted the ground next to her

"Ok!!"

"So Lottie said Jonno knows Bobby?" Priya was smiling, "That's so cool."

"I know! It's nice to be around a guy in here who isn't trying to hitch a free ride to the Villa." 

"Ugh I know, Felix has been following me around like a puppy. Like I'd ever be interested in that. So desperate. Can you imagine?" Priya rolled her eyes

Chelsea started laughing, "Felix isss a puppppeeee!!! Woof! Woof! Like a cute little pug!"

Veronica giggled, "She's cute at least."

"I just really miss Lucas.... what if he gets his head turned?" Lottie looked like she might cry.

"Don't think like that! He really likes 𝒚𝒐𝒖." Veronica hugged her. "Actually, I was wanting to talk to you all. I was talking to that Andy guy...."

"You mean Arjun?" 

"Oh yeah, why can't I remember his name? Anyway, he mentioned that Jakub would most definitely switch and leave me vulnerable."

Lottie bit her lip. "Actually I can see that happening. He doesn't seem to care about anything but his dick."

"I know." Veronica sighed, "I just want to be safe so I can get back together with Bobby. I don't know what to do."

"I have an idea. But you might not like it." Priya was twirling a piece of her hair. 

The girls leaned forward, Chelsea almost fell in the pool but Lottie saved her.

Veronica cleared her throat. "What is it?"

"Bring Jonno back."

Lottie thought about it."That's actually not a bad idea."

"Right!? It makes sense. He's a safe option plus Bobby would probably love to see his friend." Priya was getting excited.

Veronica laughed, "You girls are crazy. I couldn't do that. Bobby would be crushed." 

"If it was any other guy probably, but this situation is different." Lottie smirked, "Are you going to tell him? Or just spring it on him?"

"Wait. I don't like this plan." Veronica didn't want to lead him on.

Lottie wasn't listening, "Telling him is best." She looked over at the bar where he was standing, "You should go now." She pulled Veronica up and pushed her towards Jonno.

"No, Lottie. I don't think..."

"Hey Veronica, Doing ok?" He raised an eyebrow at the other girls giggling behind her.

"Actually, could we go and talk somewhere?" 

Jonno smiled, "Sure, how about the swinging bed? We were supposed to meet there tonight anyway, remember?" He winked.

Veronica laughed nervously, "Oh yeah! From the challenge. Let's go." 

Jonno took Veronica's hand and helped her steady the swing as they sat down.

"So, what's up?"

"Well. You know how I feel about Bobby but I'm not coupled up with him right now. I'm with Jakub." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah tough luck on that. He has no respect for a lady." 

"Ugh I know. The girls were saying something crazy..... They think I should bring you back. Just as a friend obviously."

Jonno seemed shocked, "Oh wow. That would definitely surprise a few people," He laughed. "What do you want to do?"

"Not really sure yet" She hugged him. "But I'm so glad you're here."

\-------------------

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚞𝚝.

She groaned. 𝑶𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆.

When she got there, Josh was waiting for her. "Where's Tonya?"

"I run this show now." He put his hands on his hips. "What are you waiting for?"

"I don't want to do this anymore! It feels wrong. I was told things were different between them. He hasn't budged all day!"

Josh laughed, "You signed a contract. We pay you ten thousand and you do what we ask."

She narrowed her eyes. "I was also promised that no one would get hurt!"

He tilted his head to look at her, "You think you're special? You think I don't have others in line? Do as you're told or leave. You said you needed the money to start over. Get a fresh start. Relocating is expensive, Blake. Now get out there and do your job!"

She walked back towards the Villa fighting off the tears. She had no choice.

\--------------

Bobby was laying on the Daybeds trying to get some space. These girls were intense. He just wanted Veronica back. He'd apologize a thousand times if it meant he could have her cuddled up to him right now.

"Hey stranger? This seat taken?"

Bobby looked up, hoping his dreams came true and Veronica was somehow here, but it was just Blake. She had been flirting with him all day just like Emily. 

He closed his eyes, "I just want some peace and quiet if you don't mind."

"Bobby McKenzie wants peace and quiet? Are you ill?" She giggled 

He sighed.

"Look, I'm trying to make a peace offering." She showed him two mugs of tea. 

He sat up and took a mug. "Thanks." He took a sip. It was actually really good.

"No problem."

They sat in silence for awhile. Both of them sipping their tea. It was getting awkward. He was about to break the silence when she spoke, "Do you really love her?"

Bobby didn't expect that question. He figured if Blake knew then everyone must know. He nodded. "Yeah, I really do." She looked shocked, "I love her smile, her laugh, the way she makes me feel like I'm the only one in a crowded Villa. I know it's fast but I don't think love should be kept on a timeline. Just because I love her doesn't mean she has to feel it as strongly as I do. But I want her to know. Even if I don't say it. She deserves to have that and feel it. She's had so much misery in her life but if I can put a smile on that beautiful face of hers, I will. I'll tell her in cupcakes and sprinkles, in kisses and hugs. She's the wire that holds my heart together and because of that, I love her."

She looked sad, "I think being here is a mistake...." it came out as a whisper.

Bobby was confused, "What do you mean?"

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Have you ever done something because you were desperate? But then you had a change of heart but it was probably too late?"

He couldn't help it, he laughed. "Have you been watching the show? I'm there right now but I'm still fighting anyway."

"I'm sorry. I know I've been coming on a bit strong."

He downed the rest of his tea and put his mug down on the patio table, "Hey, it's fine. No harm done, right?"

Blake nodded and sipped her tea.

Suddenly he was exhausted. "I need to go to bed." He glanced at her. "Have a good night, ok? Things will get better."

\----------------------

"Rachel!" Tonya ran up to her as she was entering the studio.

"Tonya," she looked around and lowered her voice, "I'm not supposed to be talking to you. They're pissed at what you tried to do."

"Typical. I try to do something to help for once and they turn everyone against me."

"I'm not against you. If you still want to help, then I'm in. But Josh is watching everyone like a hawk right now."

"I know. But this is the perfect time because they're in two separate locations. Josh is good but he's not 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 good."

Rachel realised what Tonya meant. "You want to show her the video in Casa? That might actually work."

"Exactly. Josh will stay at the Villa because he's using Jonno to keep Veronica busy and happy so he's not needed there."

Rachel took her cellphone out. "Let me get a hold of my friend who handles the beach hut interviews. We can do this but I don't think it'll be until tomorrow."

"That's perfect. Thank you!"

\----------------

Veronica woke up in a great mood. All she had to do was get through today and most of tomorrow. Then she'd be with Bobby and enjoy the rest of their summer. She sat up and stretched. She looked over and saw Marisol cuddled up to Graham. Their relationship was unexpected but so cute. Veronica was happy for Marisol.

"Veronica...." Hope was also awake. "Can you meet me outside?"

"Yeah sure, let me go get dressed first."

Veronica got dressed and found Hope drinking coffee in the kitchen.

"What's up, Hope?" She looked nervous.

"You seem like a trustworthy girl. I need to talk to someone but you're the only one I feel like I can trust."

Veronica was shocked by that. "Ok....."

"When I first came in here I was only out for the money." She looked at Veronica to check for judgement. She didn't see any so she continued, "But I've started to have feelings for someone and that changed."

"Hope that's great! Noah is super sweet."

"It's not Noah." She looked uncomfortable.

"Oh.... well..... who then?"

Hope sighed, "Jonno."

Veronica was a little shocked. She had never seen them talk. 

"Are you thinking of taking him back?" She nodded. "Well, I think that's great!"

"You do? You're not mad?"

"Why would I be?"

Hope stared at her like she was crazy, "I thought you liked him?"

Veronica laughed, "Not like that. He's Bobby's friend. We've just been getting along. You should take him back if it feels right."

Hope hugged her, "Oh, thank you!"

\-------------

Lucas woke up to World War Villa. It all started when Emily woke up early to find Bobby, but he wasn't in his bed. She knew he had slept outside the first night they were there so she went to check on him. As she got close to the Daybeds, she could see the blankets were thrown everywhere. She smiled to herself. 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒑 𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒄𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒍𝒆. Only, she couldn't, because there was already someone else there.

"What the hell?!" He didn't move. He was asleep, face down in the pillow. She shoved his shoulder. "Wake up!"

He lifted his head and was confused on how he got outside. He looked up to see Emily. He groaned and put his head back down. He had been dreaming of Veronica. They were at an amusement park laughing and holding hands. They kept sneaking behind rides to make out like a couple of teenagers. She said she loved him.

Emily's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Really Bobby! I can't believe you! You're such a player!"

𝑨 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓? He laughed into the pillow causing her to scream at him.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" 

He looked back up at her. 𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒏, 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅. He felt like he had a hangover but he knew he hadn't drank last night. He wouldn't. Emily was glaring at him. 

"What is your problem? Why am I outside?"

"Seriously?" She shook her head. "Why don't you ask 𝒉𝒆𝒓?!"

Bobby looked to his left. Blake was curled up next to him. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆? He jumped up. "No. This is wrong. This didn't happen."

Blake opened her eyes and stretched. "Come back to bed, baby." 

"Right. I'm sure! You're a real dick!" Emily walked off.

"Wait! I mean...fuck!" He looked at Blake, "What happened?"

She giggled, "I think you know. It's ok. We'll talk to Veronica together."

"Are you out of your fucking mind? I know nothing happened! I thought you understood after last night."

He ran after Emily because he knew she'd only make things worse. Blake followed him. When they reached the living room she went off on him.

"YOU SLEPT WITH HER?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BULLSHIT STORY ABOUT VERONICA?!"

"Wait, no! I didn't...... Blake, tell them!"

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍? Lucas got up and ran downstairs. Bobby was standing in the middle of the living room. Blake was leaning against the sliding glass door smirking and Emily, Gary and Noah were all arguing.

"You're worse than Lucas, mate!"

"Bobby, I'm disappointed in you."

Bobby looked like a mess. "Nothing happened! Why won't you tell them?!" He looked at Blake.

Blake laughed, "I can say that Veronica definitely wasn't faking it. No wonder she can't let you go."

Bobby had seriously had enough of this crap. The idea of cheating on Veronica was ridiculous. These people were all out of their damn minds. 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓?

"What is going on?" Lucas needed facts 

Emily turned to face him. "HE FUCKED BLAKE! ON THE DAYBEDS!!" she pointed at Bobby, "YOU MADE ME LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT!"

Lucas held a hand up. "Ok. Everyone calm down! Emily, this has nothing to do with you. You honestly made yourself look bad by following him around like a cat in heat." She screamed and stormed off. "Bobby? Can we have a word?"

Bobby followed him outside. He was on the edge of losing his shit. "Lucas, I swear. I didn't...." He collapsed into a chair and started sobbing. Lucas just put a hand on his back and let him cry. 𝑪𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅. This reaction was too extreme. After a few minutes, Bobby had pulled himself together.

He stood up, "Ah, man, sorry. Something in my eye."

Lucas smiled, "Hate when that happens. You ok?"

Bobby nodded. "Lucas, I don't remember anything but I wouldn't have done that."

"I believe you."

Bobby looked at him, "You do?"

"Yeah, I do. But you need to prepare for the worst."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it Bobby. What always happens during Casa?"

Bobby thought back to all the episodes he had watched...his stomach dropped. "The video."

"Yeah. The video. This is a fucking mess."

"I am NOT going to lose her again, Lucas. She's just starting to come back to me. You have to help me explain it to her. Please?!"

Lucas sighed, "I'll do my best but it depends on where her heads at."

Bobby started pacing back and forth.

"Hey, why don't you go get a shower and calm down? Then we can come up with a game plan."

"Ok. That's a good idea...." he walked away leaving Lucas alone.

Lucas was trying to think. Veronica would be upset. There was no way she wouldn't be. As he was contemplating their next move, Henrik came outside.

"Hey Bud! Things are intense in here today, huh?"

"Yeah you could say that again. Do you think he did it?"

Henrik shrugged "None of my business but....... No, I don't. He was too upset. Anyway, I'm going to go for a swim. Talk to you later!"

"Yeah, alright Buddy."

When Henrik walked away he kicked something with his foot. He hadn't noticed it but Lucas did. He got up and picked the bottle up. He looked at it for a few minutes. He shook his head and read the label, "Prescription for Ambien. Belonging to Blake Marie Taylor."

𝑺𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔? 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆.

\-----------------

The girls were chatting in the dressing room. Most of them were in good spirits and Marisol was gushing over how wonderful Graham was.

"Love looks good on you babe." Veronica smiled at her.

Marisol blushed. "I'm not sure I'd call it love. We're not you and Bobby, yet."

Now it was Veronica's turn to blush. "What? I mean....." she looked at the girls and laughed, "You know what? You're right. I love him." She couldn't stop grinning.

All the girls started talking about how they knew it and saying how lucky she was. Except for Hope.

"Look, I realise you feel that way but I don't think that's possible this early." She crossed her arms.

Veronica thought it was odd for Hope to say that considering their talk earlier.

"But Hope, we can't help how we feel. I'm only speaking my truth."

Hope scoffed, "I just think it's too soon."

Marisol decided to step in "Actually Hope, you're wrong. There's no scientific proof that shows the timeline of falling in love." She smiled at Veronica, "It can take months or years in some cases but for others it can only take a few hours or days. Statistics say men usually say it after eighty eight days, woman take even longer but in this situation, why wait? Veronica and Bobby both have difficult pasts so why not be happy if it's available to them?" All the girls were staring at Marisol with their mouths open, she didn't talk much but when she did it had meaning, "I read a quote once. An Author Unknown, it said, 'You don't fall in love with a body, you fall in love with a soul. And once in love with a soul, everything about that body becomes beautiful.' Now, if that quote is accurate, then I would say they are in love. Their souls share the same heartbreak. It also casts an interesting theory on Lottie's idea of Soul Twins."

Chelsea squealed, "Marisol!! I love that!! It needs to be on a pillow!!"

Marisol made a face. "It would be a big pillow."

"Marisol, I thought you didn't believe in stuff like that?" Hope was annoyed that no one agreed with her.

"I didn't. But things change."

Lottie was crying, "That was beautiful babe. I'm really proud of how far you've come."

"Ok....maybe that makes sense?" Hope looked at Veronica, "I need to be honest with you all. Noah and I aren't going anywhere."

"Oh no!!!!" Chelsea hugged her.

"Thanks Chelsea. I'm actually bringing Jonno back."

Veronica spoke up, "I'm happy for you."

Chelsea stood up. "Group hug!!!!"

"Oh! Guys I got a text!"

"Read it!! Read it!!" Chelsea was clapping like a cheerleader.

"I can't. It's a video." Priya pressed play.

The video showed Gary and Henrik talking about the new girls.

"𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺'𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦."

"𝘖𝘩 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘩, 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴?"

Then it showed Jakub coming around the corner with a girl. It was clear from his smug face he had just fucked her. She was fixing her top. "Pig" muttered Veronica.

It showed Bobby in the kitchen laughing with a girl. They went into the pantry together. There was no sound.

The video then cut to Lucas kissing some girl. Everyone was laughing. Bobby spoke.

"𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴? 𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘦."

The video ended with Bobby waking up on the Daybed next to a girl. She was curled up next to him. He ran into the living room where another girl was yelling at him.

"𝘠𝘖𝘜 𝘚𝘓𝘌𝘗𝘛 𝘞𝘐𝘛𝘏 𝘏𝘌𝘙?! 𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛 𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘗𝘌𝘕𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘖 𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘉𝘜𝘓𝘓𝘚𝘏𝘐𝘛 𝘚𝘛𝘖𝘙𝘠 𝘈𝘉𝘖𝘜𝘛 𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘖𝘕𝘐𝘊𝘈?!"

"𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥! 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮?!"

The video faded to black. Chelsea was not pleased.

"What the hell?! Henrik wants to go camping with one of those girls??"

Everyone was staring at Veronica. Lottie cleared her throat. "Chelsea hun, I don't think Henrik is the biggest issue right now."

"What do you....?" She looked at Veronica. "Oh.....Oh babe!"

"Veronica? Are you ok?" Lottie was waiting for an explosion.

Finally she spoke, "He slept with someone?"

"These videos are made to stir the pot. Let's think about what we saw."

"Ok Marisol. Analyze it. What do 𝒚𝒐𝒖 think happened?" Veronica was about to start burning this Villa to the ground.

"Well. Why didn't it show it? If Bobby slept with that girl then where is the footage? It was outside, there are cameras everywhere. And in the kitchen scene they didn't play any audio. Why not?"

"Yeah she's right. Jakub was obviously in the closet with that girl. I guarentee that was real but none of the other things were. Lucas kissing that girl had to be the challenge. And Bobby made a joke to make it less awkward." Priya was trying to make sense of it all. "They didn't show Noah at all."

Hope laughed. "He's probably hiding in a closet reading." The girls laughed with her.

Veronica felt sick. He had cheated on her. Just like Travis. 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒎 𝑰 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆? Her phone dinged. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘?

𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊, 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢.

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒅.

Lottie rolled her eyes, "Probably asking how you feel about this. It's going to be fine. Find me after?"

She walked to the beach hut slowly. She felt like she was headed to an execution. This room was smaller than the one at the Main Villa. She took a seat.

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗻, 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮! 𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

Something to show her? She was worried. Were her parents ok? Was Misty ok? The screen showed Bobby doing an interview. It said: Truth or Dare Kiss. 

"𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨."

Then it showed Bobby kissing her in the dressing room after the kissing challenge.

It showed him smiling at her even when she wasn't looking. It showed them laughing, baking Lottie's cake together. Sharing their stories with each other. It cut to a video that said: video call

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬. 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘯."

"𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳."

"𝘖𝘩 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺, 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘦. 𝘖𝘩 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶!"

Veronica was crying. 𝑯𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆?

There were more moments. Their date, the hideaway, them falling in the pool together. The video said: recoupling interview 

"𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐'𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨'𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮. 𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘺? 𝘐 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘰. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦."

It cut to him yelling at the girl from the pantry video.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦! 𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯."

The screen faded to black.

She sat there for a long time trying to process what she'd just seen and heard. She looked up at the camera above her, "Why did you do this?"

A lady's voice came over the speaker, "Because we're sorry. We messed things up and you need to know the truth, Veronica."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has changed so much since my initial idea of it. I hope you are enjoying it! ❤
> 
> Your comments make my day 🙂


	16. It'll Be Fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys get a video and tempers rise.
> 
> Oh, look! The girls are back!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Reader: riversandroads01 💚 Sorry this Chapter was chaotic. I feel like that's going to become a regular thing 💚
> 
> This chapter is one of my favorites but also gave me anxiety 🤣
> 
> Good news? No more Casa now that it's posted.
> 
> Enjoy ❤

When Lottie saw Veronica she looked horrible.

"What happened?!"

"Oh Lottie! They showed me this video with Bobby. Things he said about me in interviews and us together on the show. I ruined everything!" She put her head in her hands.

"Ruined it? How?"

Her voice was muffled. "I waited too long to tell him how I feel. Why didn't I just suck it up and just tell him?"

Lottie hugged her. "Oh hun. Everything is going to work out, ok? I promise. He has some explaining to do but I'll be there if you need me."

She hugged her back. "Thanks. I have no idea what to do. He thought he loved me after the Mr. Love Island Show. I'm an idiot!"

"You just need to take a leap sometimes. It's not like he's gone. We'll see them all soon and you'll have your chance to tell him how you feel."

"You saw the video. He's already moved on."

Lottie scoffed. "Moved on?! Really Veronica? That video was a load of rubbish. Maybe he slept outside with her but he didn't really 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 with her. Trust me."

\-------------------

The guys had just seen the video of the girls. To say that it didn't go over well was an understatement. Gary saw Lottie laughing with some guy which pissed him off. Lucas didn't understand why he was so mad because one, Lottie was not his to begin with and two, Gary did the same thing.

There wasn't much of Veronica except her whispering in a guys ear that they couldn't even see. Bobby felt jealous but pushed it away. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆. Priya looked to be having fun and Marisol was flirting a lot with one of the guys. Lottie got a lap dance from a guy that Lucas referred to as, some fuckboy.

"That's it. I'm switching."

Lucas couldn't deal with Gary's outbursts. "Gary, calm down! It was the challenge. Lottie is loyal to the Villa." 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆.

"I don't want to be at risk. I can't chance it, mate."

"So you picked her to, in your words, 'help a friend' and now you're just going to put her in danger?! I might seem cool and collected in here but I assure you if she leaves, we are having words. MATE."

Bobby shook his head, "Gary, you need to relax. Who would you switch to anyway?" He hadn't seen him hit it off with any of the girls.

"I have choices. What about you? What if Veronica brings someone back?"

Bobby crossed his arms, he had a migraine and did not need this, plus he was going out of his mind trying to figure out how to explain everything to her once she came back. "She's allowed to make her own decisions. I trust her and really, I don't care what you do, just please don't pick Emily. She's too much." 

All the guys agreed on that. Ever since she found Bobby with Blake in the Daybeds she did nothing but make huge scenes. Then to get "even", she had extremely loud and completely fake sex in the shower with Jakub. Like that would make anyone jealous. The sex was real for him though so he didn't complain.

"I like Emily." Jakub smiled remembering.

"We all know that, Bud." Henrik couldn't get the sounds out of his head. He didn't know a guy's moan could be that high.

"Course, I'm sure I'd like Blake too." Jakub winked at Bobby 

"For the last time. I didn't sleep with her! I don't know what happened!" 

Jakub loved pissing him off, "Poor Veronica, I'll have to take her mind off things when she gets back. She likes it rough, isn't that right? Thrown against doors and such?"

Bobby was going to kill him. He wasn't as built as Jakub was but that didn't matter. His fist collided with Jakub's jaw.

The surprise of it knocked him back. "What the hell, Bobby?!"

As soon as it happened, Lucas and Noah grabbed Bobby by the arms. "Don't talk about her like that! She deserves some fucking respect!"

"Noah, take him somewhere else!" Lucas had to get Bobby away from him before he got sent home. "Jakub. Was that necessary? What is everyone's problem today?"

"Not my fault he can't control his emotions. Fuck. That actually hurts." He touched his jaw and started laughing. "Oy! Bobby! Respect mate! Glad you're not being a pussy." He walked towards the kitchen to ice his eye.

Bobby got a text.

𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢. 

\-----------------

"Damn it! He fucking hit the guy?" Josh was pissed. He had to figure out how to get around this. Violence was a huge no-no in the Villa. 

Tonya just smirked. She had told him not to do those videos but he never listened. She didn't want Bobby to leave and she knew Josh wouldn't want him to either. "Hey Josh? A word, please?"

"I'm a little busy right now, Tonya."

"I can see that, but I thought you might want some help."

Josh thought about it carefully. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒐? "I'm listening."

"Obviously you don't want him to go home, right?"

"Obviously."

Tonya smiled, "Ok, then the answer is simple. We have at least four girls going home tomorrow, wouldn't you say?"

Josh was getting impatient. "Yeah I'd agree with that."

"Well. Just push the blame on one of them. Send one out early." She shrugged.

"You want me to have it look like one if those tiny ass girls hit that big oaf hard enough to cause some damage? You've lost your touch."

"No, dumbass. You stage a fight. I don't know... Have one of the girls," she paused. "Maybe... Blake.... throw a huge fit and maybe she hits Jakub with something. Viewers love fights. Especially over boys."

"Obviously it won't be Blake" he glared at her, he knew what she was doing. Trying to clean up messes. "Bobby and Jakub would need to work together on this. I'm not sure they will."

She crossed her arms and sighed, "They will if you tell them it's either this or they both go home. Plus, Jakub has a tiny bit of respect for Bobby right now."

Josh didn't see any other choice. "Call Jakub into the beach hut too."

\---------------

Veronica found Hope sitting with Jonno. They were laughing and cuddling. Veronica cleared her throat. They pulled apart.

"Oh, hey Veronica! How are you feeling after the video?" Hope gave her a sad smile.

"It hurt. I'm not sure how to feel."

Jonno seemed shocked, "What video?" Hope excused herself to go talk to Chelsea.

Veronica huffed, "We got a video that showed what the guys have been up to. It looked like Bobby was really enjoying himself."

"Seriously? Did it show Lucas?"

Veronica wondered why he cared if it showed him. "Yeah he was kissing a girl but you could tell it was from the challenge."

"Well that sucks. You know, I thought you were into Lucas at first."

"Really? We're just really good friends. Besides, he has Lottie. They're adorable together." 

Jonno made a face at that. "I'm not so sure. I think you and Hope are the best options in here."

Veronica glared at him. "Options? We have feelings. We aren't side items on a dinner menu."

He laughed. "Guess you're right. My apologies."

She decided to get the conversation back on track. "Lottie doesn't think anything happened."

He rolled his eyes, "Of course she doesn't. I'm a little shocked you're friends with her. She's... different."

Veronica was really confused on why Jonno seemed to dislike Lottie. "So? That's why I love her. She's a great friend."

"So you believe her? About Bobby?"

"A little bit yes. She's been in here the whole time so if she trusts him, I guess I should too."

Jonno stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm exhausted. Thanks for talking to Hope for me. She's great."

\---------------------

Bobby was staring daggers into Jakub, "Why the hell is he here?! I'm not 'hugging it out.' He's an ass!"

Jakub went to say something back but Josh put a hand up, "Shut up! Both of you." He leaned against the door, "You've both royally fucked this up. Now I have to fix it."

"How?" Bobby was icing his hand. Jakub's face felt like a concrete block. 𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒅. "I know fighting isn't allowed." He realised he might get kicked out over this. That couldn't happen.

"Well, this is reality TV and as much as people want to believe that everything is real, we all know it isn't." He looked at the guys to see it they followed. "So, too bad Emily hit you with that cutting board, Jakub. And Bobby, is your hand broken?"

He shook his head, "Actually, no. Medical said just keep it iced tonight and tomorrow."

"Good. No story for you then."

"Hold on. You want to put the blame on that Emily girl?" Jakub was confused.

"Yep. She causes too much chaos in here. Plus it's not like anyone's picking her tomorrow."

"That's kind of harsh."

Bobby agreed with him. "Yeah, I mean she's been a real pain in the ass but using her as a scapegoat is wrong."

Josh was getting annoyed. "It's this or you both leave. Tonight." They looked shocked. 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅. "Bobby, I know you have two very important reasons to stay. First one being Veronica and the second one is... let's see...." he pulled out a piece of paper, "Ah yes. Here it is....'The main reason I'm here is for my grandmother. She really loves the show and I love her. It's been her dream to open a bakery so I reckon the money would really help with that.' That's what you said, right?"

Bobby nodded. It had been Jonno's idea. He could never repay his grandmother for everything she had taught him but he wanted to do something big for her. His love of baking came from her and she loved this damn show. It all made sense when he had submitted his application online.

"And Jakub. You're here for the publicity right? What will your current and future clients think of Bobby getting a hit in? At least a pissed off girl makes an amusing story."

Jakub was irritated but the guy was right. He looked like a real dumbass in this situation.

Bobby and Jakub glanced at each other. They made a silent agreement. Bobby was first to speak. "So what do you want us to do?"

\---------------

They found Emily in the kitchen with one of the giggler twins. She looked at them when they approached and winked

"Hey boys. Looking good, Jakub."

"Yeah, thanks." He turned towards the other girl, "Hey, like a chat?"

While Jakub was talking, Bobby had gotten the cutting board out and was chopping up some berries for later.

"What's going on here?" Emily crossed her arms. The guys had agreed that flirting with someone in front of Emily while ignoring her would be the quickest way to get her mad enough to go crazy.

"Hello? Did you hear me?"

They continued to ignore her. Bobby chopping and Jakub flirting.

"Jakub!? Why are you flirting with her?! Didn't you enjoy my company?" She pouted and walked over to him. She sat on his lap.

"We had a bit of fun, Siobhan. Oh I mean, Emily..."

She jumped off his lap. "What did you just say?!" She narrowed her eyes ready to kill.

"Calm down love, don't overreact."

"Overreact?! I'll show you overreact!!"

Bobby slowly slid the cutting board towards her. Without a second thought she grabbed it and whacked Jakub in the face with it. Bobby stifled a laugh.

Jakub grabbed his face and made a scene, "What the hell!? You're crazy!"

The guys ran over. Bobby had filled them in on the plan. 

"Jesus! That's not going to look good tomorrow, Jakub."

"It was an accident! He..... I'm sorry!" Emily dropped the cutting board.

"Let me take a look." Lucas looked at him. She had gotten him in the eye as well. He was going to have a hard time seeing tomorrow. "That's going to swell. He needs medical."

"No. It's not that bad, right?" Emily was in a panic. Her phone dinged. "I have to go to the beach hut. Do you think I'm in trouble?" She was getting really upset.

Noah put a hand on her shoulder, he didn't want her to cry, "I'll walk with you."

\----------------------

Lucas was wrestling with the idea of telling Bobby about the sleeping pills. He should know. But when? He needed to talk to Veronica as soon as he could. Let her know before she could go off on Bobby. He never thought all this would happen in here.

"Hey man! Long day, huh?" Bobby collapsed on the bed with Lucas and sighed, "I'm exhausted."

"I'm just glad the girls will be back this time tomorrow."

"Uh, same," he put a fist in the air and Lucas fist bumped it. "I just have to pray now that Veronica will listen to me."

Lucas thought this was as good a time as any to tell him. He lifted the bottle up and shook it. 

"Oh, thanks! For my hand?" Bobby took the bottle and read it.

Lucas waited.....

"Lucas? Call me crazy but I thought Ambien was a sleeping pill, not a pain reliever."

"I found those in the kitchen. The morning after you woke up outside. Did you read the name?"

Bobby took a second look at the label. "WHAT THE FUCK?! Is this real?" He sat up. "She 𝒅𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒅 me?!"

"That's what it looks like from here."

Bobby did not understand where these people came from. Stealing his girl, reaching out to Cara, drugging him to make it seem like he fucked some girl?? What was next?!

"These people are pathetic."

Before Lucas could respond, Gary came in the room but he wasn't alone. Blake was hanging off of him and they didn't even seem to notice that they had an audience. 

"I'm soooo happy you're keeping me here. You won't regret it, baby." Blake giggled.

"You're so fucking hot." Gary attacked her like he hadn't gotten any in years. Bobby wondered if he had looked that desperate.

Lucas cleared his throat, "We were talking."

Blake looked at them and laughed. "No one is making you leave." She went back to eating Gary's face.

Bobby shook his head, "I'm not telling him. Are you?"

"That she's fucking him over? Literally? Hell no."

They stood up and left them to it.

\----------------

Veronica woke up feeling awful. She got up and got ready. The boys were already gone. All the girls were excited about going back. Lottie was actually giddy. She had missed Lucas more than she thought she would. She smiled thinking about what they would do once they were back together.

"Lottie? Are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh sorry." She blushed 

Veronica giggled. "We were asking what you were going to do."

"I'm sticking."

"Told you she would!" 

"Ok so, Lottie's sticking, Veronica's sticking, Hope, you're switching?"

Hope nodded. She was nervous but happy.

"Oh! A text!! The guys made us breakfast before we leave!!"

The girls headed down to the lawn and stopped in their tracks. The guys looked hilarious!! They were wearing black speedos with bow ties around their necks. Veronica thought it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen. Then she wondered if Bobby was wearing one back at the Villa. She bit her lip. 

"Morning ladies! Come take a seat!"

Veronica sat with Jonno. They made small talk about their childhood and she told him she was glad that they met. He laughed and thanked her for being so kind to him and making his experience great so far. 

Finally it was time to head back to the original Villa. When they got there the boys and new girls were gone. So they did some investigating. There wasn't much to find really. Just some panties shoved in Veronica's bedside, most likely due to Jakub being his douchey self.

"Guys! I got a text!" It was time.

Veronica was completely over Casa and this show and her past and twisted videos and just about every other crazy thing that had happened to her. She wished she would have just been honest with how she felt about Bobby from the beginning. Now it was all a mess.

When it came time for the girls to switch or stick the results were predictable. Marisol switched to Graham, Hope switched to Jonno and everyone else stuck. They were then told to wait for the guys to come out. Lottie was bouncing her knee and Veronica put her hand on it to calm her down. "It'll be fine."

Henrik was the first to come out. He was alone. Chelsea squealed and ran into his arms laughing. He kissed her forehead. They intertwined their hands and they sat down.

Noah was next. He walked out with a red haired girl. Hope stood up. "What the hell, Noah?!"

"Really, Hope? You brought someone back too." He pointed at Jonno.

She seemed to have forgot that Jonno was there. "Oh. Right, well this is different."

"Why? Because I was supposed to wait around for you like an idiot? I knew this would happen. We never talk we just fight constantly."

"Well, maybe if you'd talk about something interesting we'd have something to talk about!"

Marisol cleared her throat, "Uh, guys? We still have people waiting."

Noah and Hope sat down with their own partners.

Lucas walked out after a few minutes. Lottie ran to him when she saw he was alone. He grabbed the back of her head and kissed her passionately in front of everyone. When they finally pulled apart he rested his head against hers.

"I missed you so much."

She giggled. "Same."

"Don't ever let a boy give you a lap dance again, ok? I was not happy about that."

She grinned, "Only you. Got it." She winked.

They were lost in their reunion and Veronica thought it was the sweetest thing ever. She missed having that.

"Break it up you two!"

They turned towards the group. "Sorry guys," he looked at Priya, "Forgive me. Glad you decided to stick."

Priya hugged him. "You too." 

As they went to sit down Lucas glanced at Jonno. He froze.

"What are 𝒚𝒐𝒖 doing here?"

Everyone looked back and forth between them. Hope spoke, "You know Jonno too?"

"Too? Who else knows him?

"Well, he's Bobby's best friend."

"I don't know him. Not my Jonno." Bobby had walked out during the conversation. 

There were murmurs around the firepit.

"What are they talking about? You said you knew Bobby. Why would you lie?" Veronica wanted answers.

"No. You asked if I knew Bobby from outside of here and I said, 'You could say that.' You wanted to believe it so I let you." Jonno shrugged.

Hope stood up. "Then who are you?!"

"I'm John Koh. Older brother to the wonderful Lucas here."

Lucas rubbed his face. "I can't believe you're here right now! We'll do this later. I don't have the patience right now." He needed to help Bobby. Not deal with family drama.

"Sounds good." John sat down.

Bobby swung his arms awkwardly. "Well, this is fun." He saw Marisol had met someone, leaving him single. "Congratulations Marisol! He looks like a keeper!" He hugged her.

"I'm sorry Bobby. I didn't want you to be in jeopardy."

"Hey, it's ok. I understand. I love that show!" Everyone laughed.

He looked directly at Veronica. "Hey Ronnie. I missed you."

Hearing him call her Ronnie made her smile. "Hey. I missed you too."

Bobby was expecting her to be pissed, so he wasn't prepared for that. He pulled her into a hug and she relaxed into his arms instantly. 

"We need to talk about it."

Bobby nodded. "We will."

"What's going on here?" Jakub had walked out alone.

Veronica turned and looked at him. "What happened to your face?! Are you alright?"

"Oh yeah. I'm good. Some crazy bird." He shrugged. "Glad you stuck."

"You too." She removed herself from Bobby's arms, she noticed his hand was wrapped up. She gave him a puzzled look. He just smiled.

"Hey everyone! I have someone I want you to meet." 

Veronica was surprised when she heard Gary's voice. 𝑯𝒆 𝒔𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅? She saw the girl step out from behind the grinning crane operator.

"Hey everyone. Nice to meet you."

They locked eyes and Veronica felt like she'd been kicked in the stomach. 

𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒆?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like this Cliffhanger. Did you?? 🙈🙃


	17. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Almost) All is revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Reader: riversandroads01 💚 Girl. This chapter. All I can say is THANK YOU and I'm glad it's completed 🤣💚
> 
> This chapter is a bit short because I didn't want it too chaotic this time 🙃
> 
> Trigger Warning 🔴
> 
> Every choice comes with a consequence. Once you make a choice, you must accept responsibility. You cannot escape the consequences of your choices, whether you like them or not.  
> Roy T. Bennett // The Light in the Heart

"This is Blake!" 

"Gary? You switched on me?" Lottie was upset. 

"Lottie, I couldn't risk it. We saw you on the video." Gary looked awkward.

Lucas stood up and hugged her. "It'll be ok, Sweetheart."

"I'm really sorry that we are meeting like this Lottie. You seem like a sweet girl." Blake smiled at her.

Veronica was speechless. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆? 

"Oh, Blake!! You remind me so much of Veronica!!" Chelsea ran up and hugged her then stepped back and looked her up and down. "Actually, you two look sooo much alike!! Freaky Friday!"

Veronica finally found her voice. "Well Chelsea, she probably looks a lot like me because she's my cousin."

Chelsea gasped. "What?! You mean the cousin who..."

She glared at Blake. "Why are you here!"

Seeing Veronica again made her glad she did this. "You know why."

"I can honestly say I don't."

She laughed. "You've been running around this place playing the victim. Lucas really fucked everything up for you, huh?"

Bobby looked at Lucas. His normal stance seemed to deflate. 𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒔? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕?

Veronica stayed quiet.

"Are you going to tell them or should I?" Blake was smirking at her.

"Tell them what? How Travis cheated on me with you for two years? Why did you really come here? To try and 'embarrass me' or 'hurt my feelings?' I'm assuming it was you that woke up next to Bobby on the Daybeds?"

Blake narrowed her eyes. "I want you to tell them how sick you are! You're an awful person!"

Bobby stood up. "Why don't you tell her about the sleeping pills. That's pretty 𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒌 if you ask me!" He handed the bottle to Veronica. "Lucas found them the next morning. I knew there was a reason I couldn't remember that night." He was glad he had a chance to show her the pills before things escalated but his head hurt trying to understand what was happening between the two girls.

"Wow." She held the bottle up. "What is wrong with you Blake?!"

She rolled her eyes and adjusted her top.

Veronica blinked at her."That's it? No explanation?" There was silence. "I don't know what you want from me."

"I want you to tell them about the baby!"

𝑩𝒂𝒃𝒚? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚? Bobby was sure that Veronica had never mentioned a baby. He would have definitely remembered that.

There were gasps and hushed whispering behind Veronica. Her voice broke. "You know about that? How?"

"Travis told me. He was so excited about it but you took that from him!" Blake was angry about the whole thing. Travis had started to get better. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒕.

"No. You don't know the whole story. The night I found you two together? I was going to leave anyway. I found out I was pregnant and knew I couldn't stay with him anymore. You both blamed me for the reason he cheated but I didn't care. I had more important things on my mind."

"You should have told him first. It wasn't fair-"

"I DID! A few days after I left, I sent him a text. Told him that at least living in a nightmare with him had given me something good. He was immediately pissed off. I told him I didn't want anything from him except to be left alone. I'm guessing the story you heard was different. I didn't do anything. He attacked me and I lost the baby! Because of him! How dare you believe anything else!"

Blake was shocked. Travis had told her that Veronica terminated the pregnancy to get back at him. When she saw them on the show she assumed Lucas was the one who did it. "That's not true."

"It's a hundred percent true you bitch! I hope you're happy now. The big secret is out!" 

Blake was embarrassed. She came here to show everyone how awful Veronica had been. Travis was unraveling because of it. This was the only way he'd allow her on the show, to reveal the truth. They needed the money to start over. Just the two of them.

Bobby stood up. "Hold on." He turned to look at Veronica. He didn't care about anyone else around them. "That's why you were upset that day and talked to Lucas?"

Veronica nodded. "Yes." She rubbed her arm.

He was trying to make sure he understood everything. "You were pregnant? That's why Travis found you that night? That's why he tried to kill you?"

She couldn't speak. Tears were falling even though she was fighting to stay strong. 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔. 𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆.

Bobby was trying to process what the hell was going on. Veronica found out she was pregnant and decided to leave Travis. That part made sense. Then the bastard found out she was having his baby and tried to kill her. Bobby hoped he never met Travis. He'd knock the shit out of him. What he didn't understand was how Lucas played into everything. He knew Lucas was in the medical field but.... 𝑶𝒉 𝑮𝒐𝒅. He said he was there for one of her accidents. THAT accident? He had been there for her at her weakest moment. No wonder they shared such a tight bond. Bobby looked over him.

Lucas met his gaze and whispered, "I'm sorry."

He felt like he'd been hit in the chest. Of course she didn't want to tell him. Hell, she probably thought he was going to leave her over it. That was not happening. He loved her and anyone who would think less of her was a fucking monster. 

He walked over and wrapped her up in a hug "I am so sorry, Beautiful. You deserved so much better." He kissed her temple.

Her mind was racing. He wasn't running away. She talked so only he could hear, "I thought you'd hate me."

"Hate you for what? It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known."

She let go of him and turned to the group. "I promise I didn't do anything. I wanted to love that baby more than anything. When Travis knocked on my door that night, I tried to fight back. He was just too angry. Too strong." 

Blake didn't believe her. She marched over to Veronica and shoved her. "Liar!"

Even though she was smaller than Blake she lunged at her. Chelsea screamed as the two started pulling hair and clawing at each other's faces. Bobby grabbed Veronica and Gary grabbed Blake. Jakub stood up. "Can we get someone out here? Why the fuck are you all allowing this?!"

Bobby was actually thankful for Jakub at that moment. "Yeah seriously! This is ridiculous!" He was trying to soothe Veronica who was crying into his chest. "I can't believe you would think Veronica would get rid of the pregnancy, Blake! She's clearly devastated over it. You need to wake the hell up!"

An assistant ran out from her hiding spot. "Cathy asked for them to come to the beach hut."

"I'm going too." He wasn't leaving her alone with Blake. Veronica shook her head. 

"It's ok. I can go by myself." She leaned into him. "Can we talk later?" 

He nodded, "Of course."

She let go of him and walked off to the beach hut with Blake trailing behind.

The two girls walked in silence. Blake didn't know what to say. 𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒓?

When they opened the door they were greeted by a woman that neither of them knew.

"Oh, girls!!" The woman hugged them. "This is a real mess, isn't it? We thought it would be best to talk it out in a safe place." The woman smiled at them.

"And you are?" Veronica didn't care if she sounded rude. 

The woman laughed. "Oh sorry! I'm Cathy. I'm a producer on the show." She shook their hands. 

"I'm sorry. Talk it out? We've already gotten into it. I'm done." Blake rolled her eyes. 

Cathy nodded. "I know. Some people, who are no longer with the show, went too far. It ends here. So, on behalf of the studio, we want to offer our sincerest apologies."

Blake and Veronica just stared at Cathy. "Sincerest apologies? You realize that means nothing, right? You all need to own up to what you've done. I know Cara, Blake and John weren't coincidences."

"I am so sorry all that happened, and you're right. We're going to get everything back on track. You two should talk though."

Veronica turned to Blake. "I'm listening."

"I saw it in your eyes out there. I'm sorry. I didn't know he would do that."

"Blake. He was arrested."

She winced. "He told me it was because of a bar fight."

Veronica didn't want to talk about it anymore. "It doesn't matter anyway. He got off because mentally, he's unstable."

"It's killing him. He's so upset about it-"

"Shut up! I don't care! He's not upset the baby's gone. He's upset I escaped." She was trying her best not to cry. "Does he hit you?"

Blake could feel her face turning red. "Only if I do something wrong. He's trying to get better."

Veronica shook her head. "Blake. You need to leave him. There is no such thing as 'better' with him. It always gets worse. He's a manipulative asshole. I'm actually surprised he let you come on here." She looked her over. "I see he still knows how to hide the bruises. That will change."

Blake hugged herself. "They offered me ten thousand dollars to come in here. He said we could use the money to disappear and start over."

"He had you choose money over family? You don't think that's crazy!? Please use it to leave him. Just leave the show and get on a plane that will take you far away from him." 

"I love him." She looked away not wanting Veronica to see her upset.

"That's not love. Love is gentle and sweet and full of laughter. Travis doesn't give you any of those things." She sighed. "I was with him for a long time, Blake. He stopped telling me he loved me and being sweet after graduation. We should be told how special we are every day. I'm begging you. Please get out. He tried to kill me. That's how it ends with him."

Blake collapsed on the big chair crying hysterically. "I'm sorry!!"

Veronica understood that desperate feeling of being trapped. But what Blake had done was wrong. "Blake, I love you because we're family, but what you did was unforgivable. I will try to help you get out but that's it. You 𝒅𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒅 Bobby! Who does that?! I might lose him over this and now everyone knows what happened... my parents have to find out on television. I'm sorry if you think that's selfish but I have to do what's best for me."

Her voice was hoarse from crying. "I tried to back out of the Bobby situation. They wouldn't let me!"

"You could have backed out. These people don't own you! We make our own choices."

Blake sobbed into Veronica's shoulder. She just kept saying she was sorry over and over again. 

Veronica patted her on the back. "I know."

\-----------------

Before the Casa Amor episodes aired there was a message to the viewers.

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗯𝗼𝘅 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿. 𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱. 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗮 𝗔𝗺𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮.

"That's weird. Have you ever seen that before?" 

Mrs. Palmer shook her head. "No, but something bad must have happened." Her eyes widened. "They would have called us if something happened to Veronica, right?"

"Of course. Don't worry." Misty settled in to watch the three episodes. The show had released them back to back.

After the episodes, they understood why the message was needed. So much had happened that Misty didn't know where to start. Veronica's mom was in tears while Mr. Palmer was yelling "I always said Blake was a bad egg! Conniving bitch!"

"Frank please, she's our niece."

"Not anymore! You don't do that to family! How can you defend her?!"

Misty felt really out of place. She knew Blake had always been jealous of Veronica. Tried to copy everything she did but this was just unheard of. Then there was the fact that Veronica had been pregnant and lost it. She never told her. 𝑵𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍. 

"Please don't fight. I know I'm not family but Veronica wouldn't want you two upset. What Blake did was horrible but I only care about how Veronica feels, don't you?

"Oh honey, you're right. And don't be silly, you are like a sister to her. And a second daughter to us."

"Brenda's right. We consider you family. I'm sorry I yelled. I was lost in the moment."

"I understand why." She hugged the Palmers. She considered them family too. Her family was miles away. "I wish she would have told me about the baby."

"When she comes home I'm having a talk with her. No more secrets." Mrs. Palmer blew her nose. "Surely her and Bobby will work out, right? That poor boy. His family must be so upset. I can't imagine what they think of us!"

"I'm sure they understand. We can't choose our family."

"Speaking of family, that Lucas is in for a bit of drama I'd say." Mr. Palmer wasn't wrong about that. Misty already hated John.

Mrs. Palmer wiped her eyes. "Well, let's not cry anymore. Let's pray nothing but good things happen from here on out." She picked up her knitting basket. "Oh Misty! Could you be a dear and find out on Twitter what Bobby's sweater size is? I want it done before Thanksgiving." 

Misty laughed. With all the fan pages the answer was probably out. "I can try." She pulled up Twitter. Hashtags about Blake were everywhere. Hashtag Bitch. Hashtag Blake-the-snake. Hashtag Vote-Blake-Out. Misty smiled. "The next episode better have a public vote. She's out of there." 

\------------------

Tonya was ok. 

She understood why they let her go. She had gotten the video to Veronica and she was completely at peace with that. It was her fault Blake was there though so that still pained her but she couldn't change the past. She created a Twitter account as soon as she got home. She was going to help as much as she could. Her phone signaled a text.

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚜𝚑 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞.

Tonya smiled. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝑮𝒐𝒅! She knew as soon as she told Cathy about the staged fight with Emily he'd be gone. The sleeping pills would have done it but Tonya wanted to be part of his demise. She typed a reply.

𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍!!! 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚁𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚕! 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐!

She smiled to herself. Rachel had helped her so much. When they asked who she thought should take over for her and Josh she immediately recommended Cathy and Rachel. They had the passion the show needed.

She scrolled through Twitter. Seemed like everyone was pissed at Blake and Jonno. She typed her first "tweet"

𝙸𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚙! 𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗!! 𝙶𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗! #𝚃𝚎𝚊𝚖𝙱𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚎4𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛 

\-----------------

Lucas and Lottie were sitting by the pool keeping Bobby company. He felt like shit. He wanted to know Veronica's secret so bad but he had no clue it was so heartbreaking. He looked over at his friends. Lottie had her head resting on Lucas's shoulder. He sighed. "You two don't need to babysit me. I'm a big boy."

"Are we babysitting you? I am definitely not getting paid for any of this." Lottie smiled at him.

He looked at his phone. Veronica had been gone for a while. He put it face down and hung his head.

"She'll be out soon." Lucas knew Veronica had more to tell Bobby. The hardest part for her was coming and he knew she was taking her time.

Bobby's phone dinged. He grabbed it so fast it almost fell in the pool but Lottie caught it. "Calm down and breathe. That's why we 𝒂𝒓𝒆 babysitting you." She handed the phone back.

"I knew it. I'm telling mom you brought your boyfriend over." He winked at them and read the text. It was from Veronica.

𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎?

He typed a reply.

𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎.

Another text came through.

𝚁𝚘𝚘𝚏?

Bobby stood up. "I have to go. You kids behave yourselves." As he walked away he responded back.

𝙾𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚢.

When he arrived at their meeting place it was already occupied by Hope and John. 

"Oh, Bobby! What are you doing here? I was kind of having a conversation with John..."

"Right. Sorry." He did not want any part of that drama right now. He turned around and walked into the dressing room where he ran into Veronica. He grabbed her hand and put a finger up to his mouth. "Hope and John are out there."

"Oh. I do not feel like dealing with that right now." She crossed her arms. "Where should we go?"

"What's wrong with right here?" Bobby just needed to talk to her. The setting didn't matter to him.

"Ok." She looked around. "I don't know where to start."

He smiled. "Start with what's easiest." He winked.

She smiled remembering the first time he'd told her that. It was when she felt comfortable enough to open up to him about her past.

"The problem is it's not an easy thing to talk about and I'm extremely terrified." She looked down at her feet.

Bobby lifted her chin to look at him. "Of me?"

She shook her head. "No. Never." She put her hand on his chest. "I'm scared you won't want to continue things with me."

He hated she even thought that was a possibility. "Well, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard. I only want you."

They stood there for what felt like an eternity. Him waiting patiently and her working up the nerve. They spoke at the same time.

"It can't be that bad..."  
"I can't have kids...."

"What?"

She started to feel the tears stinging her eyes. "After what happened. There were issues and they told me I'll never have a child of my own. I'm sorry. I know you want kids and you don't want to be with someone who doesn't."

He caressed her cheek."Hey, who said I wanted kids?"

She didn't want to say it was Lottie in case he got mad. "Someone mentioned you said it in an interview."

Bobby thought back through his interviews. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚. "I did say that but that doesn't mean it's set in stone. It was the first interview. It wasn't a big deal. I didn't know you even wanted to discuss that yet."

She blushed. "I just don't want to get too far in and waste your time, but you don't want kids?"

"You are never a waste of my time and I don't care either way. I have Riley and you have Reggie. They're like kids right?"

She giggled and nodded. He kissed her. It was an awful kiss because he couldn't stop smiling and laughing. She was irritated. "Hey!"

"Sorry! I'm just so happy you're back. It's been hell without you." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Actually it's my turn to tell you something." He took her hand and kissed it. He was shaking. "Veronica... I-"

"Guys! I got a text!"

"Seriously?!" He looked at her and started again. "From the first day I-"

"Guys!!! Text!!!!"

𝑰'𝒎 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓.

Veronica answered. "Coming Chelsea!!" She led him downstairs. "We'll have plenty of time to talk. Don't worry."

When they arrived in the kitchen with the others Chelsea read the text.

𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝! 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚍. #𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗 #𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚢𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝

"Couples could get dumped? What about the single ones?" Hope looked nervous.

"Looks like we're safe for now." Bobby high fived Lottie. He was trying to play it cool but he was worried. Veronica was coupled with Jakub. He didn't think people would vote them to stay.

Everyone started to yawn and head towards their beds. Veronica was so exhausted. "I'm tired. Can we pick this back up tomorrow?" 

He was sweating bullets. "Sure, Ronnie. No rush." 𝑰'𝒎 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖. They went upstairs to figure out sleeping arrangements.

Bobby ended up in bed with Lottie. It was awkward but at least they were friends. Lucas walked by to kiss Lottie good night. Bobby held his hands up. "Want me to sleep like this?"

Lottie laughed. "We trust you, Bobby."

Veronica was already asleep. She was completely wiped out emotionally. She looked so cute curled up with her pillow. Jakub made his way over to the bed and carefully got in. He glanced at Bobby. "She's all yours mate. Don't worry." 

Bobby nodded at him. Jakub wasn't too bad but he still didn't like him. Lottie nudged him. "People love her. She'll be fine."

"Thanks, Lottie." Bobby turned over and fell asleep.


	18. Learn To Let Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John's a little bitch and the public vote is revealed 😬

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Reader: riversandroads01 💚 Thank you for reading all my edits and understanding my thought process! You are the best! 💚
> 
> Guys!! Moving On has hit over 1000 hits and I really can't believe it! Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me!! I freaking love you all!! ❤❤😭
> 
> 🛑 Trigger Warning
> 
> I'm done reliving my bad decisions  
> I see now maybe there's a reason why  
> I've been through hell and back  
> Yeah, honestly, it's all made me who I am  
> Holding on to wasted time  
> Gotta learn to let go in life
> 
> So, I think it's time to practice what I preach  
> Exorcise the demons inside me  
> Whoa, gotta learn to let it go  
> The past can't haunt me if I don't let it  
> Live and learn and never forget it  
> Whoa, gotta learn to let it go
> 
> Learn To Let Go // Kesha

ᴛᴡᴏ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜs ᴀɢᴏ

"𝘏𝘦𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵? 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳..."

"𝘕𝘰. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦." 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴: 𝘔𝘺 𝘞𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘢𝘺!!!! 

"𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺..."

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵?!" 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰.

𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

"𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶."

𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮. "𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵."

"𝘖𝘩, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵? 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐'𝘮 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥? 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳! 𝘏𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳! 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴." 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳. "𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴?"

𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮. "𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩? 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳."

"𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩."

𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨. "𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘮. 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦." 𝘏𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢. 𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵? 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩?"

"𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺?" 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. "𝘐'𝘮 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶."

"𝘞𝘩𝘺? 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦?" 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵. "𝘐'𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵." 𝘐𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳.

𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦.

𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥. "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺?"

𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳. 

𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘶𝘱. "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢?!"

"𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰?? 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯?"

"𝘕𝘰. 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯?"

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘰. 𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. "𝘞𝘩𝘰'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳?"

"𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺'𝘴, 𝘰𝘬?"

"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸?"

"𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯."

"𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢! 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩."

"𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳."

𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭. "𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘔𝘤𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘻𝘪𝘦. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴? 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶!"

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘥. "𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦-"

"𝘕𝘰, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦! 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 you 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮! 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶! 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘉𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩?!"

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱.

𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺. "𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵?"

"𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘵? 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨."

"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘰? 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘪𝘳?" 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧.

"𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦." 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥.

𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦. 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘶𝘱. "𝘖𝘬. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬." 

𝘈𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵, 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘴. 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 s𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩. 𝘏𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝑮𝒐𝒅.

𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰'𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥. "𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬."

𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 

𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴. 

𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦.

𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥.

𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭? 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶?"

"𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘺." 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥?"

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮. "𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯."

"𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘥?"

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵."

"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮?"

"𝘔𝘳. 𝘔𝘤𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘻𝘪𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧."

\----------------

Bobby woke up in a cold sweat. His heart felt like it was going to bust out of his chest. He got out of bed making sure he didn't wake Lottie and went into the bathroom. He splashed water on his face and closed his eyes, breathing slowly. He hadn't thought or dreamt about that day in over a year. The only good thing that had come from it was he had found a best friend in Jonno. He had saved his life and he was so grateful for that. He was also the only one that knew everything that happened that day. He understood. He figured everything that came out last night had triggered the dream. 

"You ok?"

He looked up and saw Veronica's reflection in the mirror. He smiled at her. "Of course. Just had a bad dream."

She looked worried. She walked up and wrapped her arms around him, kissing his shoulder blade. "Want to talk about it?'

"Not really." After last night he didn't know how to tell her why Cara left.

"Ok. I'm here if you decide you do."

He nodded and turned to face her. "You're perfect, you know?"

She grinned. "I'm definitely not, but being your girlfriend feels pretty perfect."

He chuckled. "Oh, so you're my girlfriend again?"

She nuzzled into his chest. "If that's ok."

"It's more than ok." He kissed her cheek and then peppered her with kisses, making her giggle. "Since no one's up, I need to talk to you."

"Is everything alright?" She sat down in one of the vanity chairs.

His words came out rushed. "When you left for Casa, it killed me, Veronica. I don't want to be without you."

She smiled. "I feel the same way."

"I'm glad. I just really need to tell you that I-"

"What are you two love birds doing in here? Alone." Chelsea winked at them

Bobby couldn't believe this girl's sense of timing. "Chelsea, why are you up so early?"

"It's seven. I'm always up at this time." She paused and then shrieked. "Veronica! Let's make breakfast for everyone!" 

"Uhh, actually we were talking."

"Bobby, you two can talk later. Come on hun!" Chelsea grabbed Veronica's hand and ran downstairs.

"Sure. No problem." Bobby couldn't believe his luck.

\----------------

"Have you ever made breakfast before?" Veronica was scraping the sixth burnt egg into the garbage.

"Well, no. But it's fun, right?!" Chelsea grinned from ear to ear.

"Maybe I can do the eggs and you do the toast?"

"Excellent idea!! It's this pan. It heats up too fast."

Veronica fought off a smile. "That's definitely the issue." She liked Chelsea. So positive all the time. They needed that in here. "So, how are you and Henrik?"

She immediately gushed about how sweet he was and somehow got sidetracked talking about pillows.

"I'm thinking that when we get out of here, I'll send him a pillow that says 'I moss you!' What do you think?!"

"That's cute! Like 'I miss you' right?"

She squealed. "I knew you'd understand!"

Gary came down from the bedroom with Blake.

Veronica had almost forgotten she was here. She smiled at them. "Morning you two! Hungry?"

"As if you have to ask!" Gary quickly grabbed two plates. He turned to Blake. "Are you a breakfast person?"

She smiled. "I am. Thank you." She blushed. "I like ketchup on my eggs."

Gary grinned. "Really? Me too!" He glanced at Veronica. "Blake, could you get us a seat?" She took his plate and walked to one of the tables. "Hey, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't know."

"It's ok, Gary. Not your fault."

"I do like her so it's weird."

Veronica smiled at him. "I think she likes you too. Go eat." She waved him off.

Chelsea bumped shoulders with her when he walked away. "They're cute, aren't they? I know last night was upsetting but she deserves a chance to be happy. We all do." She sighed dreamily.

Veronica agreed. She was angry with Blake still but she couldn't go back to Travis. He wouldn't let her leave. She watched Gary talking to her. They were sweet together. She felt an arm slide around her waist.

"Smells good and I don't mean breakfast." Bobby kissed her on the side of her head. She leaned into him.

"Let's eat." He grabbed their plates and she followed him to the Daybeds.

She watched him take a bite and swallow. "You like watching people eat?" 

"Just seeing if it tastes ok." She took a bite.

"Using me as a guinea pig?! That's mean. You don't trust Chelsea?"

"I made them."

"Oh. Well, they're good. So you can't bake but you can cook. That's good to know." He shoved an entire egg in his mouth and gave her two thumbs up.

She laughed. "I love to cook. I like to change things and make them my own."

Bobby put his plate down and they snuggled together. "I can't wait to be out of here and have actual time with you." 

"Me either." She kissed his bruised hand. 

"You're making me swoon, Darling"

She twisted to look at him. "Darling?"

"I'm trying out different nicknames. You don't like that one?"

"I like Ronnie."

He laughed. "That one stays but that's our fun thing. I'm not going to call you Ronnie when we're making out! What would the neighbors think!?"

She burst out laughing. "I'm excited to hear what you come up with, but I do like beautiful and babe. Also, I enjoy it when you use my name. Should I think of some for you?"

"Hell yes! I want that to become our new thing, Pookie."

"Me too... Boo-Thang?" She loved that things were back to normal. She missed having fun with him. They heard Blake laugh at something Gary said.

Bobby sighed. "I'm sorry she's here. Hopefully, she gets voted out." 

"I need to talk to you." She grabbed her mic and turned it down. He did the same. She knew they didn't have much time. "He hits her Bobby. He fed her lies and used her for his sick revenge to get back at me for leaving and surviving. I have to help her."

"How?" He didn't like the idea but he trusted Veronica.

"I'm not sure. Someone promised her ten thousand just for coming in here so there's that."

"Let me guess, Tonya? She's the bitch who brought Cara in on my video call. Then there was a guy when I hit Jakub."

Veronica raised an eyebrow at that. "Wait, what?" She thought he burned himself or something.

"I'll tell you later."

"We met someone named Cathy last night." Her phone dinged.

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚌 𝚞𝚙. 𝙱𝚘𝚋𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚘.

\----------------

Lottie and Lucas were cuddled up in bed together.

"On Christmas? What about the Turkey?"

She laughed. "No Turkey in our house. We heat up the grill and have steak, chicken and lamb. Prawns too!"

"That sounds better than ours. I can't wait."

"You'd spend Christmas with me? And my family?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I?"

Lottie got out of bed. "We need to talk, Lucas."

"What's wrong?"

"Well your brother is here and you haven't even introduced me or talked to him."

Lucas looked down at the bed. He knew they'd have this conversation. He was just avoiding it. He knew John was here to try and sabotage them. "I have nothing to say to him. I told you what my family is like."

She looked sad. "Family is important to me. I know I would be upset if I didn't get along with mine. My dad is my best friend."

"I don't care, Lottie. I don't want to talk about it. He'll be gone after this vote anyway."

Lottie was surprised by his attitude. She knew he could be cold when he wanted to but never with her. He was always sweet and caring. "You say you hate your father yet I'm sure that was him that just came out of your mouth, wasn't it?"

He winced. "Can we not fight? Please? I'll talk with him, ok?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Lucas. I'm going downstairs."

He watched her leave and groaned. His family brought his anger out. It wasn't fair to her. It wasn't fair to anyone.

"Well done, brother. You're making my job easier." John smirked

Lucas rubbed his face. "Why are you here?"

"Father is not happy. He told me to talk some sense into you."

"You mean shove the 'Koh expectations' down my throat... I don't care what he thinks."

"Listen." He looked around and lowered his voice. "I know father can be demanding but you need to think of your clinic. You still want to open it, correct?"

"You know I do. If Lottie and I win we can use the money to-"

"Don't be an idiot. Fifty thousand won't do much, especially if you're still considering doing Doctors without Borders. You need continuous funding for a low-income clinic. Father has agreed to be that funding."

Lucas glared at him. "On what terms?"

"Say goodbye to her."

"No way in hell!" He stood up and started pacing.

"She's not the type of girl we end up with."

Lucas sighed, John didn't get it. "Yeah, you're right. She's weird and wears black. She also likes tarot cards and believes in fate. Pathetic, right?" He put his head in his hands. "I'm an idiot..."

"Finally, you get it."

Lucas shook his head. "No, I'm an idiot to listen to you. I'm falling in love with her."

John was shocked. He didn't expect that from him. "Really?"

"Yes. She makes me happier than I've ever been."

"Well, then we have a problem. You have to take the deal now."

"John, what are you talking about?!"

"Father dug up some things from her past. If you don't agree to what he wants he'll release it to the media."

"What did he find?" Lucas was shaking.

"She had a little run-in with the law when she was younger for vandalism and there are some scandalous photos."

"Well, that's not groundbreaking."

"That's not all." John looked like he felt horrible for Lucas. "Her father is not who she thinks he is. Her mother had an affair. Her real father is her uncle."

"What? That's a lie." He knew his father would try anything.

"Is it? You only know what she tells you."

"If it is true it will crush her. She loves her family."

"He knows that. If you really love her, you'll do what's best for her. I've already spoken with Hope. She's agreed to couple up with you."

"Hope?! You've got to be kidding me!"

John crossed his arms. He was tired of his younger brother's outbursts. "We think she's the best option for you."

He felt sick to his stomach. "I won't do it. She'll never forgive me."

\---------------

Bobby was enjoying his time with Veronica. She was writing words and drawing pictures on his stomach making him guess what it was. If he was right he got a kiss. If he was wrong, well he got a kiss anyway.

"Ok, this one will be hard. So concentrate."

"Ronnie, you've said that the last three times." He tickled her.

"Stop it! I promise this one will be good."

She traced her finger down his chest to his stomach and did a few circles and twirls. He had no idea what it was. He looked at her. "Word or picture?"

"Picture."

He pretended to be annoyed. "I hate pictures... let's see. Pancakes?"

She laughed. "You're not even trying now!"

He smiled. "I know." He grabbed her and pinned her beneath him. Both of them laughing. He looked into her eyes and she blushed. He got serious. "You're the best part of me."

She felt that in her soul. She pulled him tight to her. "I feel the same." She had happy tears flowing from her eyes. She loved this man with her whole heart and he didn't even know. She felt whole. She was finally moving on and it felt beautiful.

"Bobby? I need to tell you something."

"Ok." His voice was muffled in her shoulder. She loosened her grip.

"Sorry." She bit her lip thinking about how to say it in the way he deserved. He was smiling at her waiting. "You know when I got mad at you at the firepit? After my date with Lucas?" He nodded. "Well, I wasn't really mad at you, I was mad at myself."

He tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I realized that at the end of the day, all I wanted was-"

"Veronica! I really need to talk to you!"

"Lottie? Are you ok?" She slipped out from underneath Bobby and ran to her. "What happened?" She glanced at Bobby and mouthed, 𝑰'𝒎 𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚.

He tapped his nose and pointed at her. She winked and ushered Lottie to the living room.

"Ok. What is wrong?"

"I tried to talk to Lucas about his family and he got really upset with me."

"You said he's sensitive about them, right? It's probably really difficult for him to have John in here." Veronica rolled her eyes when she said his name. "I'm sure it's not you."

Lottie nodded. "You're probably right. I'm overreacting huh?" She laughed.

"Maybe a little bit." She took her hand. "Let's go talk to him."

They walked upstairs to the bedroom. As they got to the door they heard Lucas arguing with someone. They stopped and listened.

"She's not the type of girl we end up with."

"Yeah, you're right. She's weird and wears black. She also likes tarot cards and believes in fate. Pathetic, right?" There was a pause. "I'm an idiot..."

"Finally, you get it."

Veronica couldn't believe what she was hearing. She turned to look at Lottie. She looked devastated. She ran down the stairs. Veronica followed her.

"Lottie, I know what we heard but there has to be an explanation. He would never say anything bad about you."

"Don't be so stupid! These guys don't care. They came in here to use us! They only want to win! I'm an idiot! I actually thought..." she stormed off.

\----------------

Lucas realized that the Villa was unusually quiet. He made his way to the kitchen where he found Bobby and Henrik. They were whispering and when they saw him they stopped.

"Is everything ok?" 

Bobby angrily opened the oven door and shoved a casserole dish in. He rounded on Lucas.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

Henrik wasn't happy either. "They heard you and John."

"Who?"

"Veronica and Lottie!"

"Ok. I still don't understand why you two are mad."

Bobby scoffed. "When you call a girl pathetic it kind of hurts her feelings."

Lucas was trying to understand what that meant. Then he remembered. "They heard that?"

"You really said it?!"

"I did but I was being sarcastic." Lucas was angry at himself. He could only imagine what Lottie thought of him. "Where is she?"

Bobby and Henrik wouldn't look him in the eyes.

"Where is she!?" 

"She's saying her goodbyes. She's leaving, bud." Henrik nodded in the direction of the firepit where a few of the girls were gathered.

"She's leaving?! No, she can't." 

"She's really mad. They all are. They won't even talk to us." Bobby glared at him. "You need to fix this."

"I will. I promise." He walked straight to the group of girls. "Ladies, could I talk to Lottie, please?"

Veronica stepped in front of him with her arms crossed. "She has nothing to say to you. I really thought you were better than this."

He looked past her to the back of Lottie's head. "Please. Just five minutes? Let me explain."

He finally saw her face. It was streaked with her eyeliner from the tears. Seeing her like that made his heart hurt. 

"Lottie. I am so sorry. What you heard back there... it wasn't how I really feel."

"Why me?!"

"What?"

"Why did you choose me to screw around with?! Was it just because I was the easiest choice for you?"

"Really? You know that's not the case here."

He saw John smirking in the corner. "John! Get the fuck over here!"

Lottie looked nervous. "What are you doing?"

"You won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to him."

John arrived at the firepit. "What's going on?"

"She overheard us talking. Tell her. Right now!" 

John raised an eyebrow. "You're sure about this?" Lucas nodded.

Lottie told the girls to give them some space. Veronica made her way over to Bobby. She had ignored him while she was trying to talk Lottie out of leaving. 

"You look cute, Honey Bun." He was wearing his apron that said 'rock out with your crock out' She leaned against the counter. 

"Thanks."

"You're mad."

He sighed. "I'm not mad. I just hate that you all jumped to conclusions."

"Bobby, you didn't hear the conversation."

"I know. But Lucas has never done anything to make us think he'd be sneaky." He looked over at them. Lottie was hugging him. "See?"

Veronica was happy things seemed to be ok for them. She turned her attention back to Bobby. "Today was so good. I don't want you irritated with me."

"I know. I'm irritated at a lot of things lately but you're not one of them."

"Promise?"

He booped her on the nose. "Promise."

The oven buzzed. He ran over and took the dish out. It smelled amazing.

"What is that? It smells so good!"

"Blackberry crumble. It's my mom's favorite. It's her birthday today."

"It is? That's so sweet." She looked at a camera and blew a kiss. "Happy Birthday!!"

He loved that she did that. "Yep. She's twenty-five again this year! Can you believe that?" He laughed and pulled out a spoon. "Care to do the honors?"

She took the spoon from him and scooped out some right from the middle. She blew on it and took a quick bite. It was so good she moaned. "Bobby, this is incredible."

He grinned. "I'm glad you think so." He kissed her and he could taste the blackberries on her lips. It was definitely his new favorite way to eat dessert. He lifted her up on the counter and she wrapped her legs around him. 

"Is that blackberry crumble?! It's my favorite!"

He sighed. "Chelsea." Bobby knew it was her before he even looked in her direction. "What a wonderful surprise. It is. Help yourself."

Henrik mouthed an apology behind her.

"Guys! I got a text!"

Bobby's fears bubbled to the surface when he heard those five words. He knew it was the public vote results. He helped Veronica down from the counter and they walked to the firepit together.

𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜! 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐! 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

Lottie was a mixed bag of emotions. She knew now why Lucas hated his family so much. She told Lucas to take the deal. She understood. He wasn't happy about it but she wanted his dream of having the clinic to become a reality. She had to protect her parents too. Her parents were so solid. She almost didn't believe John. She thought it could be a sick ploy to get her to leave but he hadn't expected her to understand and be ok with it. She was happy she shocked him. Lucas took her hand and squeezed it. He looked sad. 

She smiled at him. "It'll be ok. I'm still here."

He shook his head. "It will be different now. My family will expect a show."

They decided to not tell anyone else so it looked believable. Hope grinned at Lottie. She was excited to finally be in a power couple.

"Wait! Before this continues I need to talk to someone." John was looking around for a crew member. "I've decided to leave."

Hope stood up. "What?! I thought we were doing ok after our talk."

Lucas rolled his eyes. 𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒕?

John looked at her. "I know who you care about. I won't stand in the way." He glanced at Lucas.

Veronica was unsure of what she was watching. John was leaving and she was fine with that but she knew Hope really liked him. Or at least that's what she thought. 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒔𝒐 𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆? She looked at Lottie. Her face had no emotion.

An assistant came out and talked to John explaining that if he left, his contract would be voided. He said he understood. Everyone waved goodbye to him and then a text hit Henrik's phone.

𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜! 𝙳𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎....

There was silence. Chelsea was humming nervously. 

Blake's phone dinged.

𝙻𝚞𝚌𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚢𝚊

Priya hugged him and they went to stand in front of the others. Bobby's phone dinged. He felt his chest tighten.

𝙹𝚊𝚔𝚞𝚋 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊

Jakub stood up and offered his hand to her. He smiled, "You'll be saved. Don't worry."

The last text was taking forever. Everyone was checking their phone to make sure they didn't miss anything.

\---------------

"What does Blake's contract say? Does she have to make it through to get the money?"

Rachel was reading the contract. She shook her head. "No. She just had to get someone to switch to her. Which she did."

Cathy nodded. She wanted Blake to get the money that was promised to her. "Send the text."

\----------------

Chelsea's phone finally dinged causing her to jump.

𝙶𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚔𝚎

Gary was sad. He saw it coming but it still sucked. He kissed Blake on the forehead and they took their place in front with the others.

Graham got a text.

𝙱𝚘𝚋𝚋𝚢, 𝙻𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙷𝚘𝚙𝚎. 𝚂𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗 𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑. 𝙰𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚘 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎. 𝙱𝚘𝚋𝚋𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝.

Bobby couldn't be happier. He was getting Veronica back. He grinned at her. "When this girl left for Casa, part of me left with her and I was a shell of a person. I'm so happy things between us are back to normal and I'm glad we finally get to be a couple in here again. So, in case anyone is confused, I'm picking Veronica." 

She ran to him and kissed him. They sat down and he could finally breathe. 

Hope's phone dinged. Lucas thought he might pass out. He hated this. Lottie told him to be with Hope and that hurt him. He'd never been scared to lose someone before but when he thought of losing Lottie, he was fucking terrified.

"I've been struggling in here." She wiped a tear away for effect. "John made me realize that I've had feelings for someone in here but I've been keeping them hidden. Veronica told me that if it feels right then I should try it." She paused. "So for a chance at happiness, I'm choosing Lucas "

Everyone was shocked. Veronica stood up. "That is 𝒏𝒐𝒕 what I said, Hope! I said if it felt right to switch to John then you should!" She did not want Lottie to think she had any part of her decision.

"Veronica, it's ok." Lottie was visibly upset. "Lucas and I talked and we decided we're better as just friends."

"But Lottie! That makes no sense!"

"It's my turn to pick. Please sit down and try to respect our decision." She crossed her arms. Veronica slowly sank back down next to Bobby.

Lottie didn't wait for her text. "I'm glad I get to give this guy another chance. He's sweet and always there for me. The guy I want to pick is Gary."

Blake hugged him and told him she was happy for him. He told her to be safe.

𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚢𝚊, 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚊𝚔𝚞𝚋, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚍𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍. 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚋𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎.

"Well. I'll go first." Jakub walked forward. "Veronica, I'm sorry I messed things up for you. I thought I'd come in here and just shake things up for a bit of fun. Bobby's a great guy but you already know that. Wish I could have stayed a little bit longer but it's fine. See you all at the final!" He walked out the door.

Priya smiled at the group. "I'm going to miss all of you so much. I had a blast and I hope we can all stay in touch!" She hugged everyone and she was gone.

Blake was the only one left. She felt uncomfortable. No one would miss her she was sure of it. She had been so horrible. She gasped when Veronica hugged her.

"Take the money and go to my parent's house, ok? Don't tell anyone you don't have to. Do not contact him, Blake. Promise me."

Blake cried into her shoulder. "I won't. I promise."

Veronica hugged her even tighter. "I love you. It's not your fault."

She walked Blake out as everyone else stood around the firepit.


	19. Light A Match & Watch It Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica tries to fix the mess that John left behind. 
> 
> Our thoughts are with her...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter took longer than normal to post. I had a bad week. I think it's important to take time for yourself if you're ever overwhelmed by something. 
> 
> Thank you for being patient and as usual, I love you and hope you enjoy!
> 
> Baby, I'm dancing in the dark  
> With you between my arms  
> Barefoot on the grass  
> Listening to our favourite song  
> When you said you looked a mess  
> I whispered underneath my breath  
> But you heard it,  
> Darling, you look perfect tonight
> 
> Perfect // Ed Sheeran

Even though Veronica was cuddled up to Bobby, she couldn't sleep, things were back to normal for them but her mind seemed to not give a damn. She sighed and rolled onto her back. 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒖𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒆𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑. 

She kissed Bobby lightly on the cheek and went down to the kitchen. The Villa was so calm at night. Such a change from the drama-filled days they usually experienced. She opened the fridge to get the milk out but the lid was loose. It fell to the ground sending milk everywhere. "Damn it!" She ran to get a towel and wipe it up.

"Can't sleep?" Lucas grabbed a towel to help.

She rolled her eyes. She had been avoiding him since the public vote. "How'd you know?"

"Guess you're still mad at me? Look, Veronica.."

"No. You look!" She smacked the counter. "How could you do that to her? You and Lottie were great together. How can you be so blind!?"

"Keep your voice down!" He pushed her into the pantry.

"What are you doing!?"

He put a hand over her mouth and whispered. "I'm going to tell you the truth but I need you to be quiet for once in your damn life, please?"

She nodded to let him know she agreed and he removed his hand.

"You have two minutes." She glared at him.

"Ok. I have a huge fucking problem."

"Yeah, no shit..." he shot Veronica a look. She winced. "Sorry. Continue."

"It's my father. He doesn't want me with Lottie. John came here because of it. My family is all about appearances. I hate it. It's so damn toxic."

"Then just tell your father to fuck off. Who cares about any of that?"

"Normally I would." He looked like he might cry. "This is different. He said he'd fund my clinic if I left her." He put his hand up before Veronica could protest. "I told my brother I didn't care but Lottie told me to take the deal."

Veronica scoffed. "You expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth. Somehow my father found out some personal things about Lottie's family. I'm sure this show helped with that discovery" he kicked a box on the floor. "Bobby was right..."

"Bobby? What does he have to do with this?"

"Just his theory about the producers causing issues."

"Oh right.." She sighed. Maybe he was on to something. "They offered Blake ten thousand to come in here. Some lady told me they were fixing things but I don't believe that at all."

"Are you serious?!" He looked away. "I love her, Veronica. I can't do this." He hugged her, she'd never seen Lucas this upset.

She felt sad for him. "Is there anything I can do? Bobby and I owe you both so much."

He shook his head. "I'm not sure. My mind's a mess right now. Just please don't tell anyone about the deal. We agreed we wouldn't." He smiled at her. "You can tell Bobby though."

"Thank you. Your secret is safe with me. Who all knows?"

Lucas wiped his face. "Besides us and Lottie, the only other person who knows is Hope."

"Hope? You mean she knew he was your brother the whole time?!" 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒌 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒇!

"I'm not sure." He ran a hand through his hair. "Let's get out of here."

\-----------------

Lottie didn't want to talk to anyone but that didn't stop Veronica from trying. This needed to be fixed.

"There has to be something we can do. What if we.."

"You don't think I haven't thought about it? I don't want to be without him but here we are. I thought I was ok with it but Hope is making it worse."

"What do you mean?"

"She won't keep her hands off him." She nodded in the direction of the firepit. Sure enough, Hope was kissing his neck and giggling.

"Someone should tell her off. This is so unfair. She's only here for the money and it's disgusting." Veronica shook her head watching Hope. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒏. 𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒉. 𝑩𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒔...

Veronica went wide-eyed and stood up.

"Lottie..."

"I want him to have his clinic. Plus, my parents don't deserve to be looked at like they're bad people. Things happen."

"Lottie!"

"What?!"

"I know what to do." She was grinning like a crazy person.

"Ok? What?"

Veronica didn't want to tell her. She needed to talk to Bobby and that Cathy woman. "I need to think everything through first. You'll find out soon though!" She hugged her.

She saw Bobby in the kitchen and smiled. As she approached him she could see he was making french toast. 

"French toast? Who's that for? Your girlfriend? She's pretty lucky." 

Bobby smiled at her. "You think so? I'd say I'm the lucky one." He booped her on the nose. "Hope you're hungry."

She wrinkled her nose. "I hate that word. 𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆."

He laughed. "The word, or the person? Hating the word seems very unlike you."

"I'm just mad at her Bobby. She's playing the game without thinking of anyone else."

He sighed. "Some people love money. I'm not saying it's right but that's the reality." He handed her a plate of french toast. "Eat and stop worrying. I know you didn't sleep well last night so you need your energy."

She sat down to eat. "I need to run an idea by you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is this about the Lucas and Lottie issue that you're obsessed with?"

She swallowed her food. "Obviously."

"Ronnie. If they don't want to be together we can't force them."

She groaned. "Crap. I didn't tell you!" She filled him in on everything that Lucas had told her this morning.

"Well, that certainly changes things. Whatever it is, I'm in. What are you thinking?"

She leaned forward and kissed him. She glanced at the camera. "Can I show you something? In the pantry?"

Bobby raised an eyebrow. "Hell yes. I love the pantry. Should I bring the syrup?"

She giggled and took his hand. As soon as the door shut he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her neck.

"Bobby, wait...oh..."

He smiled as he continued kissing her down her neck. "You've been driving me crazy." He dropped to his knees and started removing her bottoms.

She loved that he couldn't keep his hands off of her but she needed to talk to him. She grabbed the top of his head, making him look up at her "Just let me say something and then we can continue, ok?"

He groaned and kissed her thigh. "I'm showing a lot of control here."

She smiled at him. "Me too. Now stand up so I can talk to you without thinking about naughty things."

He got up and pouted. "Ok."

"I'm going to couple up with Lucas."

Bobby froze. "You want to repeat that?"

She sighed. "Hope shouldn't be with him plus, we owe Lucas and Lottie a lot. We need to do this."

"Babe. I get what you're saying but I don't think it's a good idea. It'll be obvious what you're doing."

Veronica shrugged. "So? I really don't care. It's the right thing to do."

"Ok. Then what? Hope will fight you." He wasn't against the plan but he knew how obnoxious Hope could be.

"Then we play this game. Our way. They want drama? Let's give it to them. Fuck. This. Show. Light a match and watch it burn."

Bobby laughed. "So what? Do we get into a fight? You choose Lucas? I choose Lottie?"

She shook her head. "I thought about that but I don't want to fight with you even if it's fake."

"Thank God. I hate fighting with you."

She nodded. "I know. So, we just couple up with them, piss off Hope and then we get back together." She shrugged. "Easy Peasy."

He smiled."Easy Peasy? You're cute." Bobby kissed her. His girl was a little crazy but he loved it. "How will it work though? It's not normally a mixed choosing. It's usually guys or girls."

She grinned. "I'm pretty sure that after I have a talk with Cathy, the recoupling will go our way." She had promised that things were going to be better.

"Can you trust her?"

"I think so but even if I can't, she'll listen."

\--------------

Five days had passed since Blake was voted off. She took Veronica's advice and avoided Travis. She was terrified when she showed up at the Palmer's but they took her in and gave her a place to stay. They even took her to file charges against Travis. He had been arrested the next morning.

"Blake, dear? Would you bring the popcorn? The show will start soon."

"Sure, Aunt Brenda."

She set the popcorn down and took a seat next to Misty who rolled her eyes. She hadn't forgiven Blake for what she had done.

"I hate to see Lucas and Lottie apart. I wonder what happened."

"I know. It's strange. He was so excited to see her again. You didn't notice anything while you were in there, Blake?"

"No. I kind of kept to myself." Misty scoffed at that. "The producers didn't want me to really chat with anyone except Bobby. I guess they thought I might reveal too much."

"It's so crazy to me that they would do that to you. Isn't there enough drama without adding to the pot?"

"Oh! It's starting!"

The last few episodes had been full of Bobby and Veronica being cute with a little bit of Lucas and Hope thrown in. Gary had admitted he really missed Blake which made her smile. He was a sweetheart. 

When the episode ended there was a "next time on Love Island" TV spot. It showed stock footage of Bobby and Veronica with the words, "Will secrets ruin them?"

"What the fuck?! More secrets?" Misty was outraged.

Blake's phone buzzed. She checked it to find a message on her Instagram. She was getting tons of messages about how awful she was. She wasn't going to read it until she saw it was from Tonya.

𝚆𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔. 𝙰𝚂𝙰𝙿.

\-----------------

Tonya had just gotten the news. Josh was back. Rachel called her in tears saying that views had dropped dramatically since Blake left. No one wanted episodes full of fluff. They wanted fights and drama. Then she told her what he was up to and what that damn TV spot was about.

"What do you mean he's bringing Cara in?! Is he out of his fucking mind?!"

Rachel sniffled. "Veronica and Bobby are 'too happy' according to him."

As Rachel was talking, Tonya sent a message to Blake. She was the only answer. Rachel was crying again.

"It's going to be ok. I promise."

They hung up and a message came through.

𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝?

Tonya gave Blake her number. Within seconds her phone was ringing. She answered and together they made a plan.

\---------------

Veronica headed to the beach hut. She needed to speak to that producer. This was her chance to prove she meant what she had said about being sorry. When she stepped into the room she didn't waste any time.

"I need to talk to Cathy."

The side door opened and she greeted Veronica with a hug. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good. I need to know. Were you being honest when you said things were going to get better?"

"Oh." She glanced at the camera and whispered. "Something's happened. They're bringing another producer in and he isn't very kind."

"When?"

"I can't really tell you things, Veronica."

"Will there be a recoupling soon?"

Cathy looked nervous. "Yes, but why?"

"I'm a favorite, right?"

"Yes, you and Bobby both are."

"Well, wouldn't it be a shame if your favorites left?"

Cathy gasped. Josh would be furious. "What do you want?"

Veronica smiled. "Here's what you're going to do..."

\--------------

"I'm leaving!"

Gary was standing at the door with his bags.

"Leaving? Why?"

"Don't go, man."

"Is it because of me?!"

Gary sighed. "It's no one's fault, Chelsea. I made a connection in here but she's gone and I'm worried about her." He looked at Veronica. They had talked about Travis and he couldn't let Blake go back to that.

Bobby hugged him. "I'm proud of you. You're a good guy."

Everyone crowded around him and said their goodbyes. Lottie was last.

She hugged him. "I'm sorry we never worked out. Maybe in a different Villa."

He laughed. "Sorry this leaves you single and I'm sorry I acted like a damn fool. Lucas is great and you two can work things out."

He let her go and waved as he walked out the door.

\-----------------

"Are you and Bobby ok?" Lottie was worried about Veronica.

"Of course. Why wouldn't we be?" Veronica busied herself with looking at her pajamas. She hoped the recoupling was soon. She didn't want to lie to her friends. "What about you? You're single now."

Lottie raised an eyebrow. "I think you're spending more time on me and Lucas when you should be admitting your love to each other... but, I'm fine. Gary is following his heart. I can't be mad at that."

Veronica scoffed. "At least one of you are."

Lottie crossed her arms. "You know this is different."

"Lottie, if that's true about your parents it's really not a big deal. You said so yourself. Things happen. They are still together so obviously it didn't come between them. I bet it's a lie."

"I thought that too. I don't even know my uncle. Never met him."

"See? That's weird."

Bobby interrupted their conversation.

"Uhh, sorry to barge in but I need to see Veronica for a minute." 

"Everything ok?"

Lottie turned around to look in her closet. Bobby tilted his head to the roof terrace and pointed between the two of them. He was tired of interruptions. She smirked and nodded. 

He cleared his throat. "Let's spare Lottie from listening to us."

"Is Lucas about to win the bet?" She winked at Bobby.

"Bet? What bet?" 

"Don't worry about it, Ronnie. It's silly. Something about aliens." He took her hand.

They walked outside. Veronica leaned over the balcony, breathing in the night air. "Now that Gary left, Hope could actually get dumped. Isn't that great? I mean, it's sad for him. He turned out to be a good guy but-"

Bobby was just looking at her smiling.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

He walked towards her, holding his hand out. She took it and he pulled her close, resting his other hand on her lower back. They began to sway. 

"You can dance? You're a mystery, Bobby McKenzie."

He laughed. "I might have taken a few classes."

"So that fact 𝒘𝒂𝒔 about you?" 

"Shhh, you're spoiling my romantic gesture."

She laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, smiling. He started singing 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran. 

"𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦"

"𝘖𝘩 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥"

"𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵"

"𝘖𝘩, 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦"

She looked up at him. "I love this song."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love 𝒚𝒐𝒖."

She stepped away and looked at him. "What did you say?" 

He swallowed away the fear that crept up. "I love you. I think I always have. I just pushed it away because I didn't think you felt the same but I need you to know." He felt the tears forming but he didn't care. "I love you, Veronica. You're perfect."

She didn't know what to say at first. Those three words scared her coming from another person. Her experience with them was not a kind one but she felt the same way.

"I love you too. I knew after my date with Lucas." She was crying happy tears. "I thought you were terrified to love again. I didn't want to push you into something you weren't ready for."

Bobby wiped her tears away and kissed her. "I've been trying to tell you for days. I thought I needed to make a huge show of it but this is so much better. Dancing in the dark with you between my arms? My man Ed knows what he's talking about."

Veronica nuzzled into him. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to find someone like Bobby. They stayed like that, dancing under the stars, for over an hour. It was the best night either of them had ever had in the Villa.

\-----------------

"So. We can either add an extra recoupling or bring in the two new Islanders early. Thoughts?"

Rachel raised her hand. "I think we should have an extra recoupling."

Josh laughed. "Of course you do. Anyone else?"

Hunter spoke up. "Who are the new Islanders?"

Rachel glanced at Cathy. They were told it was supposed to be Cara and Rocco but apparently things had changed.

"Why does that matter?"

"Just seeing which might get better ratings after the 'I love you' tonight."

"I say we send the new people in. It'll be a fun wake up call for the two love birds." He pressed a button on his blue tooth. "Send them in first thing in the morning. Tell Blake she can't pick Gary for her date."

Cathy stood up. "Blake?! You brought that poor girl back?!"

"She asked to come back." Josh glared at her.

"I thought it was going to be a guy and a girl?"

"It is. I made some changes. Don't worry about it."

Rachel leaned over to Cathy and whispered. "What now? This changes Veronica's plan."

"Text Tonya. She'll know what to do."

\----------------

Veronica woke up grinning. She was sure she looked like a crazy person but she didn't care. She was in love and he loved her back. She rolled over and watched Bobby sleeping. Then she had an annoying thought. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎? She poked him.

Nothing.

She looked around the room. Everyone was still asleep. She shook him.

"Bobby...Bobby..." 

"Hmm?" He pulled her into him. 

"Good morning." She kissed his cheek.

He stretched. "Morning, love." He pulled her mouth to his and kissed her sweetly. She smiled as he traced a finger down her forehead to her nose. He booped her making her giggle. "Love looks good on you."

"I said that to Marisol once." Bobby laughed at that. "So, last night really happened?" She blushed.

"Yes. I can sing pretty well, don't you think?" He winked at her.

She shoved him. "That's not what I mean."

He rolled on top of her. "Oh. You mean that I can dance?" He was unbuttoning her top, kissing her every time he revealed a patch of her skin. He pulled the comforter over them.

"Bobby..."

He smiled at her before pulling her shorts off. She had nothing on underneath. He raised an eyebrow at her. 

"You always steal them anyway. Fiend."

He chuckled. "That's fair." He kissed her inner thigh sending a shiver up her body. He made eye contact with her. "I love you, beautiful." He inserted a finger into her and she sunk into the mattress. When he added his tongue she arched her back, moaning. He loved watching what he did to her. He grabbed her thighs so she couldn't move and took his time.

"Bobby... yes..."

He smiled and thrust another finger into her causing her to whimper. She was so tight already. A few seconds later she came around his fingers. He could watch her from this angle for the rest of his life. 

She caught her breath and leaned up on her elbows. "Come here." When he kissed her she could taste herself on his tongue and that just made her want him more. He licked his fingers and sucked her hard nipple.

"I need you."

He reached for a condom. "Wait. Not yet." She pushed him down and stroked him. His cock throbbed in her hand. She licked from the base to the tip and took all of him into her mouth.

"Shit... your mouth is like heaven." He pulled her hair out of her face. She loved when he watched her. She picked up her speed and he started thrusting into her mouth, hitting the back of her throat. She heard him moan and he pulled her hair. "Fuck..." he fell back onto the pillow. She giggled and rolled the condom on.

She lowered herself onto him. He dug his fingernails into her waist. "You are so damn beautiful." She smiled down at him.

"I love that you think I'm beautiful." She rolled her hips and he couldn't even respond to her, he could only watch as she moved up and down lost in the moment. He felt her tighten around him and he started thrusting into her faster.

"Bobby... I'm close..."

"Come for me, love." He sat up and grabbed the back of her head crushing her lips to his as she came on top of him. Her whole body trembled against his as he found his own release seconds later. She collapsed on top of him in a state of bliss. Bobby held her tight until their breaths evened out.

"God, I love you. I really don't want to recouple with anyone else." He kissed her hand and held it.

She sighed. "I know, but they need our help. Plus, I'd say we're pretty solid now." She booped him. "Don't go ruining our plan."

Her phone dinged. She rolled off Bobby to get her phone from the bedside table.

𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊! 𝙰 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞. 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚋𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛.

She frowned. "New people already?" She looked at Bobby.

"Gary leaving must have changed things. What's the text say? Are they waiting for us?"

She shook her head. "It says I have a date with someone."

"What? No..." he pulled her back into bed with him. "Just stay here."

She laughed. "Don't be jealous. It's just a dumb date." She kissed his cheek. "I love you and that's not changing, ok?"

He smiled. "You're right, just hurry back."

Lucas was getting out of bed and noticed they were awake.

"Sorry, did I wake you? I have a date apparently." He seemed irritated.

Veronica showed him her phone. "Me too." 

Hope woke up. "What's going on?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Veronica and I have dates."

"Together?!" She glared at Veronica.

"No. There's new people coming in. Calm down."

"Calm down? I was promised to be with you!"

Veronica had heard enough. "Jesus Christ, Hope! He's a person. Not a fucking golden ticket to Willy Wonka's! Thinking the public would ever want you to win is a damn laugh!"

"Why don't you mind your own business?"

"You told me in Casa that you had feelings for John and now I know that was all a lie! If you wanted me to mind my own business you should have kept it to yourself! I am a very loyal person but once you lie to my face? Well, we're going to have problems. Lottie is my friend and I refuse to stand around watching you hurt her! Get some class!"

Veronica turned away from Hope, leaving her speechless, kissed Bobby one last time and went to get dressed.

Lucas tried not to smile. "I'll see you after the date, Hope."

\---------------

Blake was a little upset. She had decided to come back on the show to make sure Cara didn't step foot in the Villa. Bobby and Veronica didn't deserve that. When she was told that Gary had left, she couldn't help but be sad, he was the only one she was excited to see again. The only one that wouldn't hate her.

Then she got the text late last night from Tonya telling her to pick Lucas. She was told that it was the only way of helping Veronica's plan to get Lucas back with Lottie. She heard footsteps and looked up.

"Hey, stranger." She got up and hugged him. "Miss me?"

"What are you doing here?" He was stiff as a board 

She whispered in his ear. "Saving everyone's ass."

\---------------

When Veronica got out of the black SUV she was already missing Bobby. She should have been cuddled up with him laughing and enjoying each other's company, instead, she was forced to leave and go on a date with someone else.

As she approached, her date stood up to greet her. "Veronica. You look lovely."

She hugged him. "Thank you."

He motioned for her to sit down and poured her a glass of orange juice. It was a breakfast date, after all. He waited for her to take a seat before sitting down himself. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒖𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒔.

He raised his glass. "To good times and getting to know each other!" She smiled and clinked her glass against his. She took a drink.

"So, you clearly know my name. What's yours?"

He smiled a million-dollar smile at her. "My name is Mark and I'm so glad we finally get to chat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..... it's happening 💥


	20. Collusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake is back, Veronica has her date and there's a recoupling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going forward, I hope to update on Fridays ❤

"You brought in Mark?! Why would you do that?"

"I have my reasons." Josh was watching the monitor.

"You know that Bobby will leave, right? This will upset him more than Cara."

"Cathy, calm down. No one is leaving. I've got that covered. Mark is a friend from college."

She whispered to Rachel. "We need to talk to Blake."

\--------------

"So, what brings you to Love Island, Mark?" Veronica cut into her omelet. 𝑴𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅.

"Someone from my past."

"Oh really? That sounds mysterious." She looked him up and down. "I'm assuming you're an ex to someone in here then?"

He shook his head. "Not an ex. More of an acquaintance from college."

"Oh, the one that got away?" She laughed.

Mark just smiled at her. "You really don't know who I am?"

She downed her orange juice and shrugged. "Should I?"

"Well, I know Bobby has mentioned me at least once."

Veronica was confused. Bobby never talked about a Mark that she could remember. She thought back through their conversations. He mentioned Jonno, his mom, his grandmother, Cara.... she felt sick. Cara had left him for a Mark.

"You're that Mark?" She started to get upset thinking about how Bobby would feel seeing Mark here. She stood up. "This date is over." She went to walk away but he grabbed her arm. 

"Not yet. We need to go over a few things."

\---------------

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠.

"Great." Bobby rolled out of bed, he didn't want to get up until Veronica was back.

He put on some swim trunks and hurried downstairs to get it over with. When he opened the door he was greeted by an assistant.

"Bobby, hey!" He shook his hand. "We've made a few changes to everyone's contracts so we just need you to sign the new version." He handed him a pen.

"What kind of changes?"

"The biggest change is about leaving. Once you sign, you aren't allowed to walk out. If you do, you'll pay a fine along with forfeiting the supplement money we've paid out and you'd have to pay for yourself to get home."

Bobby raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit extreme."

"Well, it's TV and things can get chaotic. We don't want people making drastic decisions."

He thought things over. The only way he'd ever leave was if Veronica left but if she signed her contract she wouldn't be leaving anyway. He also didn't want to lose the supplement money because it was going to Jonno to help pay his half of living expenses. There was also no way he could afford a plane ticket home on his own as soon as he left the Villa.

"What happens if we don't sign?"

"You'll pack your bags and leave tonight."

Bobby picked up the pen and signed.

\---------------

"I won't do it. I refuse!"

"Then you leave." Mark called her bluff. "Without Bobby."

"He would never sign this!" Veronica hated Mark. "Why are you doing this?"

"I owe someone a favor and after it's finished, I'm done."

She started to cry. "So, what? This is like a damn business meeting? I'm not signing. I'm leaving! Fuck. all. of. you!" She turned to walk off.

Mark called after her. "He already signed it."

She stopped in her tracks. She didn't turn to face him, she just listened.

"If you leave now, he'll be forced to finish without you or pay the consequences. I thought you loved him?"

Veronica closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. She thought she had things under control but she had been so dumb. She wiped her eyes and turned to face Mark.

"Give me that pen."

\-----------------

"What the hell is going on?" Cathy couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Don't worry about it. I'm covering our ass."

Cathy didn't know what to say to that. Josh was known for causing chaos but she just didn't see the point of this. 

"I'm getting a coffee."

\------------

When Veronica got back from her date, she went to find Bobby. She found him lounging on the Daybeds.

"Hey." She curled around him and started to cry.

"What's wrong?" He tried to look at her but she buried her face into his side.

"Why did you sign it? We could have left together."

Bobby didn't understand. "Didn't you sign it?"

"I didn't want to."

"Why didn't you want to sign it?"

She finally sat up to look at him. "Because Mark's here."

He froze. "What?"

She sat up. "Mark. is. here! Don't you get it? They played us! He's here to split us up! I can't let them do this... but I don't..."

"Hey." He brought her face to his, kissing her gently, he could taste her tears."Everything is going to be ok. We got this."

Her lip trembled. "I love you and I don't want to do this anymore."

They heard the sound of heels clicking their way. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my favorite Islanders?" Blake stood beside them glaring.

Veronica was confused. She sniffled. "Blake? What are you-"

"Shut it, Veronica! We need to talk." She winked.

Bobby looked at Veronica just as confused as she was. He thought they had talked things out.

"Ok, where?"

"Follow me." Blake led her to the living room and they sat down.

\-----------------

"What are they doing?" Josh was watching the two girls.

Rachel fought off a smile. "Looks like they're deciding what to say to one another. They ended on bad terms last time."

He stretched. "True. I'm going to get some lunch. I'll be back in an hour. Then we'll start the challenge."

"Sounds good!" Rachel pulled out her phone and sent a text.

\-------------

Blake looked at her phone.

"We have about an hour to talk and I just need you to listen and wait until I'm done to ask questions. Take your mic off."

Veronica sat down and did as she was told. Blake told her that she was there because they had wanted to bring Cara in but she called Josh and begged to come back. She also told her that she had reached out to Lottie's parents and found out the truth behind what John had told Lucas.

Lottie had been adopted by her parents due to her real father being an unfit father. The mother didn't want anything to do with a baby. She even explained how Tonya had tried to turn things around but it had been too late.

"Any questions yet?"

Veronica shook her head. She was still trying to process everything. 

Blake bit her lip. "Ok good, because there's more."

"More?"

"Josh doesn't like that you and Bobby are so solid."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Well, Josh can shove it up his ass."

"I'm in here to help any way I can but Josh doesn't know that so it has to look real. I'll choose Mark at the recoupling but that will raise suspicion. I don't want you and Bobby to be separated, no one does so it looks like things will finally be back to normal."

"So, I can just pick Bobby?"

"I think so. We figure that Mark and I will get first choice but Cathy made up a public vote for you to pick after us. Once I pick Mark you can pick Bobby and then Lucas can pick Lottie."

"Wait. Is Lottie ok with information about her family getting out? If Lucas picks her it'll be everywhere."

Blake nodded. "She said it proves they're good people just like she always knew they were. Her parents aren't worried either, they said to tell Lucas's family to, and I quote, 'bring it.'"

Veronica laughed, she felt a million times better. "I'm so glad you're here. Thank you!"

\----------------

Before he went to find Veronica, Bobby wanted to talk to Mark. He calmed his nerves and walked towards him.

"Mark."

"Bobby."

"I'm only going to tell you this once. Stay away from Veronica."

"I think she can decide who she wants to talk to."

"You're right and it's not you."

Mark laughed. "We'll see."

"I'm not sure what bullshit you have planned but you better rethink it."

"I'm impressed. The last time I saw you, you were a sobbing mess begging for Cara to take you back."

"Well. The last time I saw you, you were naked in my fiance's bed. Things change."

"Text! It's a challenge!!" Chelsea's voice rang out over the Villa.

Mark rubbed his temples. "She's a loud one."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "That's how it is in here. Don't like it? There's the door." He pointed to the entrance and went to get ready for the challenge.

"What's it say, Chelsea?"

𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙱𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎! 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚍𝚐𝚎𝚜 #𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚢𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚝 #𝚌𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚠𝚘

That perked up Bobby's spirits. "A baking challenge?! Oh yeah! Me and Ronnie have this in the bag!" He smiled at her. 

"Hell yeah!" She high-fived him.

"This is so not fair!" All the others were complaining.

Apparently, the challenge wasn't really baking but instead, decorating. The guys stood in front of the girls, who were blindfolded. The girls would be the guy's arms and the guys would be the girl's eyes.

Veronica whispered, "Hey, can you hear me if I whisper?"

Bobby turned his head to the left and whispered back, "Yeah, why?"

Blake and Mark were reading the rules of the challenge but Bobby could care less. He knew how to decorate a cake.

"Blake's here to help. We can get rid of our plan. I can pick you."

He whispered back. "What? Really? That's great. See? You were upset over nothing, beautiful."

The timer had already started and Mark noticed they hadn't even done anything to their cake yet. 

"Veronica and Bobby are using a strange strategy. You guys better get started."

Bobby sighed, "We should do something for the challenge."

He directed her to the icing. She smoothed it on while continuing. "I'm just glad we have the upper hand again."

Hearing her happy again made him smile. "Me too."

Mark came over again. Bobby spoke in a regular voice, "Ronnie, time for decorations. We have fruit, chocolate and glitter. I say use everything we got, ya know? Go big or go home!" Mark walked off, and Bobby went back to whispering, "I'm so glad things are back to normal. Let's win this challenge."

They focused on decorating and getting everything as perfect as they could.

"Time's up!!"

Blake and Mark walked down the row of cakes. Veronica had taken her blindfold off. Their cake looked amazing.

"Ok guys!" Blake was making the announcement. "The winners are Veronica and Bobby! They won cocktails for everyone!"

Veronica jumped into Bobby's arms and kissed him.

\--------------

"Isn't this great? Everything is going our way." Veronica was hanging out on the beanbags with Lottie.

"I know. I feel so much better knowing I can be with Lucas again." She blushed. "I think I'm falling for him."

"You two are so great together. I can't wait for the wedding." She winked.

Lottie laughed. "Ok, let's focus on the now." She looked over at Hope who was laughing with Mark.

"Of course. Bye-bye Hope." They both laughed. 

\-----------------

"So, I won? Amazing!" 

"It's weird that you and Lottie had a bet on our love life, but yes, you win."

Lucas laughed. "She'll be so irritated. I can't wait to tell her... oh, and congratulations" 

Bobby gave him a look. "Thanks. You two are so odd. I love it!"

He smiled. "So what are you making now?" He looked at the ingredients lined up on the counter.

"Shortbread." Bobby looked around the kitchen. "It's weird without Gary here."

"Yeah, I feel bad he left right before Blake came back." Lucas had cleared the air with her on their date.

Bobby just nodded. He owed Blake a lot but he was still struggling with what she did to him and Veronica. Even if she was manipulated it was still wrong.

Veronica walked up and looked around. "What are you making?"

"Shortbread. It's my grandmother's favorite and I wanted you to try it."

She smiled. "That's so sweet. I'm sure I'll love it."

"I hope so." He started to clean off the counter. "They'll be ready in half an hour."

She pouted. "What will we do until then?" She wrapped her arms around him and gazed into his eyes.

"I'm sure we can find something fun to do." He winked.

Lucas cleared his throat. "Uhh, don't mind me. I'll just go brag to Lottie that I won our bet."

As he walked away, Veronica huffed. "What is this bet everyone keeps talking about?"

Bobby laughed. "They had a bet on which one of us would say 'I love you' first. Lucas won." He lifted her up to sit on the counter. "I love you at this height." He trailed kisses along her collarbone.

"Were we that obvious?"

"I guess so." He rubbed his thumb across the tattoo on her inner thigh. "I don't like this."

She blushed. "Oh, you noticed that?" The tattoo was just two initials with a tiny heart, T.C. Travis had demanded that she get his initials tattooed there so that everyone knew she belonged to him. "I just didn't feel like arguing about it so I did it." She looked down.

"Hey, I'm not mad about it, but let's think of what we could change it to."

She nodded. "Ok, any ideas?"

"I was thinking a cupcake."

Her head snapped up with a grin. "I love that! It's perfect." She hugged him. "I'm keeping the heart though."

He kissed her neck. "Make it purple and you've got a deal."

Before she could agree, they were interrupted by laughter. Noah and Shannon came into the kitchen.

"Hey. We're not interrupting anything are we?" Shannon smirked at them.

"No, just waiting for Bobby's newest creation to bake. How have you two been?"

"Really good actually. I'm so glad Noah and I have had a chance to connect in here. I imagine we could work on the outside. Don't you?" She looked at Noah.

He smiled at her. "Of course. I can't wait to see you play poker. I've read a few books about it."

Veronica giggled. "Books about poker? Why?"

He shrugged. "Why not?"

Shannon kissed him on the cheek. "Isn't he the cutest? I was actually wanting to talk to you, Veronica, if you're ok with that?"

"Of course. Firepit?"

The two girls left the guys in the kitchen and sat down around the dimly lit fire.

"So, what's up?"

"As a poker player, I pride myself on the ability to read people. Mark seems conflicted."

Veronica sighed. "He has a connection with Bobby. He's here to stop us from recoupling but I think we have it under control." She paused. She felt like she could trust Shannon. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

Veronica told her about how everything was such a mess after John left but she was determined to fix it and it looked like it was finally done.

Shannon raised an eyebrow. "Look, the worst mistake you can make is underestimating your opponent. It happens in poker all the time."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I don't think Mark's here to come between you two."

"Then why would he be here?"

Shannon shrugged. "You'll need to figure that out for yourself."

\--------------

Mark hated being on the show. The fact that Bobby was here just made things more complicated. He thought he had been clear to Josh that he was doing him a favor being here. He didn't even watch these types of shows. They were toxic and needed to be banned. 

He was just supposed to write up some legal agreements to cover the show's ass so they wouldn't be sued for the shit they put the contestants through but when he saw Bobby's name on the document he asked Josh about it and after a few late-night shots he found himself on a reality TV show. 𝑭𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍. 

He knew it was supposed to be Cara here, not him, but he had put his foot down, and thankfully that Blake girl wanted back in. He wasn't going to have his ex-wife cause more problems in Bobby's life. It wasn't fair. Josh wanted him to lie and tell Veronica the baby had been Bobby's but that was sick and something he would never do. He had morals.

"You need to tell her soon. I need her to blow up." Josh had called Mark into the beach hut for a chat.

"What part of 'no' are you having a hard time understanding? I'm not doing it."

"Cara left you because of Bobby. Doesn't that piss you off?"

He rolled his eyes. "Cara left because she can't make decisions. Today, she still loves Bobby, tomorrow, who knows. She's a narcissist. I'm here because we were friends in college and you always use my law firm to write your contracts but after this, you can find someone else."

Josh glared at him. "Fine. But you'll do the main thing we talked about?"

Mark sighed. "Yes. I hope you know what you're doing. If it goes the other way..."

"It won't."

Mark shook his head, he had heard some of the others talking. Josh didn't realize he was playing with fire, and her name was Veronica.

\-----------

Veronica was in a state of bliss. The last few days had been amazing. Bobby always made sure she was happy. She didn't understand how something so simple could feel so amazing but that's the only way she knew how to describe it. Amazing.

Her heart couldn't handle it sometimes and she'd get emotional over the silliest things he did for her. That always embarrassed her but Bobby just smiled and called her adorable while he kissed the tears away. She knew saying she loved him had been fast but just like Marisol had said before, why waste time 𝒏𝒐𝒕 being happy.

The recoupling was tonight and she was ready for it. The text had said it would go in order of girl/boy which seemed to worry Blake but Veronica assured her she was just overthinking it. 

"Hey, can we talk?"

She looked up to see Shannon. They had gotten closer since their talk the other day.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Hope's in a really good mood. It's almost scary."

Veronica shrugged. "So?"

"So... shouldn't she be bitchy? She knows your angry with her. Seems fishy."

"Maybe it's like a poker face? She doesn't like to look vulnerable."

Shannon shook her head. "This is different. She's been talking with Mark more too."

Veronica laughed. "Yeah, because he's got money. That's all she cares about."

Shannon's phone buzzed.

"It's time."

\----------------

Cathy was flipping through the outline for the recoupling. She saw the order and gasped. "What the hell is this?! I thought Veronica..."

"Won the public vote to pick after Blake?" Josh laughed. "The public chose this order." He picked up the paper. "I can make stuff up too." He winked at her.

"Josh, please! Why? This is Love Island, not Whiplash Island!"

He just smiled and crossed his arms. "Don't ever think you can mess with my show. You're fired." He turned away from her.

She only had one hope left. "What about Rachel? She shouldn't be punished for something I did."

"She can stay."

Cathy fought a smile as she grabbed her purse to leave.

\-------------

Everyone stood around the firepit waiting to see who would pick first. It was the first time they had seen a recoupling that wasn't solely guys or girls.

Lottie's phone dinged. 

"I can't believe I finally get to pick someone who isn't Gary." Everyone laughed. "I'm only kidding, he's a great guy, he just wasn't right for me." She smiled. "The guy I'm picking tonight has been everything I didn't know I needed and I can't wait to watch that dumb movie with you" she rolled her eyes laughing. "I choose 𝒎𝒚 Lucas."

Everyone clapped as Lucas walked up to her and picked her up making her laugh. He sat her back down. "𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 Lucas, huh?" He kissed her. "You're going to hate the movie. I can't wait." finally, together, they sat down.

Veronica was happy for them but she was not expecting Lottie to go first. She glanced at Blake, she looked just as confused.

Next to choose was Henrik, who picked Chelsea, followed by Marisol who coupled up with Graham. Veronica was furious. The producers had lied to her again. The next phone dinged.

When Mark stood up to give his speech, Bobby drowned him out. He only saw Veronica. She looked so upset. She had been so confident about the recoupling the past few days. He should have done something more. He should have sucked it up and talked to Mark, explain the situation, maybe he would have listened.

".... and that's why I'm choosing Blake."

𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒆? 𝑯𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒆? Bobby watched as she hesitantly walked over to Mark and kissed him on the cheek. He looked back at Veronica, she was smiling again but it didn't last.

When Hope's phone buzzed, the atmosphere around the group changed, she stood up. "I'm not sure why my time here has been so up and down, especially when I'm really here for love." She paused for dramatic effect and Veronica had to stop herself from gagging. "I'm all about girl code but there's one girl in here who isn't really here for love, only money, yet for some reason she has this guy wrapped around her finger and it's disgusting which is why I choose to couple up with... Bobby."

He was stunned. He ran to Veronica who had collapsed on the ground sobbing. Lottie rounded on Hope.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?! What are you doing?! How dare you make it sound like Veronica is using Bobby!"

"Is it true though? They have been together since the first day." Marisol elbowed Graham in the ribs.

"How could you say that?"

He rubbed his side. "It was just a question."

"Oh..." Chelsea started crying hysterically.

"Are you ok?" Henrik tried to calm her down.

"I'll be fine!" She was fanning her hands in front of her eyes. "I'm just a sympathetic crier."

"Right..."

Shannon knelt down beside Veronica, and looked at Bobby. "Don't make this worse. Go. I'll talk to her."

He didn't want to leave her but he knew Shannon was right. He whispered to Veronica. "I know you love me. It's going to be ok." He went and stood by Hope who grabbed his hand. He pulled away. "Don't touch me."

Shannon talked softly to her. "This is what they want. Don't give it to them. Now stand up."

Veronica got to her feet and wiped her face. She was mad at herself for getting so upset but she knew she was going home. Noah was the only one left to pick and he would choose Shannon. Noah waited for his phone to signal it was his turn and he took his place in front of the two women left.

He took a minute to collect his thoughts and cleared his throat. "When I came in here I thought I'd never fit in. I'm the book guy, quiet and shy." He smiled at himself. "In the early days I was with Hope and let's face it, she's an awful person. Some might even say, nasty." Lottie let out a loud chuckle. "Shannon and I have been talking a lot about our relationship and I think we've come to an understanding." He looked at her and she nodded. "On the first day in here, a smart, beautiful girl said she was just going to throw caution to the wind and I think I'll do the same, which is why I am choosing... Veronica."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you love these characters as much as I do ❤
> 
> On tumblr you can follow me or talk to me @ ThoracicOrchid 
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are appreciated! 😁


	21. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the last recoupling, things are changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Damn it's been like 3 weeks!
> 
> This story and I have been through a lot lately but we've had a few self care days and here we are.
> 
> Thanks to Bubblelaureno for loving this story and being my Beta. 🧡
> 
> An announcement: Going forward, I will update every 2 weeks. I just need more time with this fic. Thank you for your kind comments and as always, I love you.
> 
> But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time  
> Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time  
> I got a list of names, and yours is in red, underlined  
> I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!
> 
> Ooh, look what you made me do  
> Look what you made me do  
> Look what you just made me do  
> Look what you just made me-
> 
> Look What You Made Me Do // Taylor Swift

Veronica heard her name and thought she might pass out. She turned to Shannon and hugged her. She didn't understand what was going on. She should be the one leaving. 

"Help me pack?"

Veronica nodded, "Of course."

She followed the red-headed poker player up to the bedroom. Bobby had tried to follow but she shook her head, telling him to stay. She was too emotional right now. She felt like a damn fool.

"So." Shannon pulled out her suitcase and laid it in the bed. "Sounds like they're having fun."

They could hear the argument that had started as soon as they left the firepit.

"Shannon... I swear I had no idea that Noah was going to pick me. You have to believe me."

She laughed. "Sit down Veronica. You've had a crazy night." She folded a shirt and laid it down on the bed. "I know you had no idea. That's what made it so real."

"What?"

"I had a feeling this would happen so Noah and I decided that if it came down to me or you, he'd pick you." She went back to packing.

"Why? Why jeopardize what you have for someone like me?"

"Someone like you?" She raised an eyebrow. "Veronica. You can win this."

"Right. They'll just try to get me dumped again. I don't stand a chance now."

"Of course you do. Noah just gave you a second chance. Don't ruin it." She looked Veronica up and down. "I'm actually amazed you and Bobby don't just leave."

"One. I don't quit things. Two. Even if we wanted to, the new contract stops that."

Shannon was confused. "What new contract?"

"The one we signed the other day. Saying we can't leave and if we do..." she trailed off and shook her head. "No one else signed a new contract, did they?"

"No. Why would they do that?" Shannon was racking her brain trying to figure out this mess. Obviously, if Veronica went home, Bobby would be right behind her..."You should talk to Mark."

"Hell no! I have nothing to say to him."

"He was obviously told to not pick you. He knows something." She picked up her suitcase. "I have to go." She hugged Veronica and whispered, "Bury them."

\---------------

"What the hell was that!?" Josh was trying to understand why Veronica wasn't leaving right now.

His plan was supposed to work. Mark picked Blake. Hope picked Bobby and bye-bye, Veronica. With the contract, she'd be gone and the Baker would be forced to stay, heartbroken. Hope would convince him that he had been played the whole time. The public loved that shit. Ate it for dinner. The show would bring Veronica back and the love birds would go on to win, leaving Hope as the bitch of the season, whatever happened after that didn't matter, but now that plan was ruined because of one fucking librarian.

"Rachel. I need to talk to Mark."

\--------------

After saying goodbye to Shannon and taking a long shower, Bobby was getting comfy in one of the Daybeds where he would be sleeping until he got Veronica back. 

"Hey, sleeping out here?" Lucas fell back into the bed beside him.

"Yep. I'm not sharing a bed with Hope." He rolled his eyes.

"I completely understand."

"I almost lost her Lucas and now she won't talk to me."

"I don't think she's avoiding you. I think she just needs to process everything. It's not the first time she's shut down when something upsets her."

Bobby nodded. He wasn't wrong. Veronica hated looking vulnerable and tonight had really stuck it to both of them. He saw her walking towards him.

"You ok?"

She shook her head "No. Not at all."

Lucas got up and silently left them alone. Bobby sat up and reached out to her. "Come here."

She crawled into the bed and wrapped herself into his arms. He felt safe and the knot in her chest was slowly disappearing just from being near him. They laid there for a while, just existing. She would rub his arm and he would kiss her shoulder and whisper that everything would be fine. After finally feeling settled she turned over on her stomach.

"I feel like an idiot, Bobby. I thought we had the upper hand but I was so wrong."

"So did I. It's ok. Everything is fine."

"How can you be so calm?"

He shrugged and saw she was on the verge of tears. "Hey. We're together, right? Me and you?" She nodded. "That's why. Nothing has changed."

"Shannon left because of me."

"That was Noah's choice."

"We're the only two that had a new contract to sign."

Bobby felt himself getting pissed by that piece of information. "What?"

"Yeah. No one else had to sign a new one. Shannon told me."

He shook his head. That meant that they were deliberately trying to get rid of her and Mark knew it.

"I think I should talk to Mark but I don't want to."

"I'll do it."

She shook her head. "No way. I'm doing it."

He narrowed his eyes. "I can handle it."

"Babe." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'm not saying you can't. I'm saying you shouldn't have to. They would love a fight right now."

"Can't you just have Blake talk to him?"

"I could but I don't want to put her in the middle. She's already done so much for us."

He scoffed at that. "Oh yeah. It really worked out."

"Bobby. There's something you don't know." She started picking at the pieces of string hanging off one of the pillows. "Blake came in so they wouldn't bring Cara in."

"What?! You're kidding."

"Would I joke about that?"

The idea of Cara coming in scared him. He could handle it but he didn't want Veronica to have to deal with her. The two of them together would be bad.

"Ok. One of us 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 need to talk to Mark."

\---------------

"I don't see how this is my fault!" Mark was listening to Josh bitch about the recoupling.

"Now what?! The whole idea was to spin it and make a 'happy ever after' not 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕!" He pointed towards the door.

"Again. Not my fucking fault! I told you it could go the other way but you wouldn't listen."

Josh stared at him. He should have never wavered from his original plan. Things got fucked up because he made a last-minute decision. Well, not anymore.

He laughed. "You know what? It's fine. I know what to do. Thanks. Enjoy your time in the Villa."

\------------------

Misty was about to settle in with Veronica's parents and watch the newest episode. She was proud of Blake, she had proved that she wasn't just a cold-hearted bitch.

The doorbell rang.

"Who could that be at this time of night?"

Misty unlocked the door and cracked it. Her eyes widened and she gasped.

"Gary?! What are you doing here?!"

He stood there with his luggage and gave a sheepish smile, this was not his best plan.

"I'm here to see Blake. You must be Misty." He shook her hand.

"Uhhhh.."

"Misty? Who is it dear?"

Misty opened the door all the way, allowing him entrance. He was here for Blake? He didn't know she went back.

"Oh my! Gary?" Mrs. Palmer looked at Misty who just shrugged.

"Hi, I'm sorry to just show up like this but I talked to Veronica and she said that Blake would be here."

Mrs. Palmer immediately teared up. "Oh sweetheart, she went back in."

"What? Back to the Villa? Why?"

"For Veronica and Bobby. They were going to bring that bitch Cara in. Blake didn't want that."

Gary was in awe of Blake. She was a beautiful person underneath it all and he missed her.

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to interrupt you..."

Mr. Palmer cleared his throat. "Don't be silly boy, our girls apparently found some decent guys for once. Sit down and have some dinner. We're about to watch Disaster Island." He chuckled and Gary joined in.

\-----------------

Veronica spotted Mark by the pool, she was ready to talk to him regardless the outcome. He saw her approach him and groaned.

"I don't want to get into it."

"Well, too bad. What is going on?"

"I was told to pick Blake. That's it."

"Who told you?"

He paused. He couldn't tell her, they'd know. "A friend."

"You think I believe that?"

Mark just shrugged and went back to relaxing by the pool, Veronica stormed off shouting things he could barely hear. It wasn't that he was protecting himself, he was protecting her. She needed to stop drawing attention to herself and just enjoy the rest of her time in here.

He watched as she made a beeline for Bobby and he seemed to calm her down. He was currently dragging her into the living room as she giggled, forgetting all about her problems if only for a little while.

"I'm sure Josh is pissed." Blake had made her way over to him.

"Yep."

"Good."

They just sat there together, wondering how bad things were about to get.

\-----------------

A few days passed with no drama. Hope still tried to start arguments with the other girls and Noah but other than that, things were almost perfect.

"I got a text!"

Veronica groaned. Fucking texts were the bane of her existence.

"What's it say?" Chelsea loved challenges and she hoped that it would be a fun one to help bring everyone together again.

Lottie looked confused. "It just says, there will be a new Islander today. Hashtag here it is, hashtag let the games begin?"

"That's ominous." Lucas sighed, he was growing tired of the "game" side of this 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

"Let the games begin? Like they haven't yet?" Veronica rolled her eyes and Bobby kissed her cheek.

"I'm sure it's fine, beautiful."

They heard the sound of heels on the walkway, making them turn their heads. A beautiful woman with blonde hair in a choppy bob appeared before them.

Mark immediately stood up, anger in his eyes. Bobby mirrored his actions.

"Babe, are you ok?" Veronica pulled his face to look at her. "Bobby?"

"Hey everyone! So nice to meet you all! I'm Cara!"

There comes a time in everyone's life when the entire world comes to a screeching halt. This was Veronica's. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't hear, all she could do is watch as Cara walked up to Bobby and kissed him. Right in front of everyone. He pushed her away and that's the last thing that Veronica remembered before she woke up in medical.

"What happened?"

"Oh, Veronica!" Lottie hugged her. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"Where is Bobby?"

"Lucas is with him. He's pissed. When you passed out he carried you in here but they wouldn't let him stay. Bastards..."

"Was it really 𝘩𝘦𝘳? Cara?"

Lottie nodded. "Yeah, it was. She's... not very pleasant."

Veronica scoffed at that. Of course, she wasn't pleasant, she was a bitch. A beautiful bitch, but still a 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩. She was so sick of this. Travis, Blake, Tonya, Cara, all these people always getting the upper hand. Always tearing her down, making her look weak. Not anymore. She remembered what Shannon had said to her before leaving.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴."

"𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."

"Veronica? Are you ok? You still look pale. Have some water."

"Are there cameras in here?"

"No, they're not allowed, no mics either."

"Lottie. We're friends, right? I mean, you trust me?"

"Yes... I think you have a concussion."

"No, I'm fine. I feel... fine." She took a drink of water not realizing how much she was shaking. "You watch the show, right?"

"Yes, Veronica, you're freaking me out. I'm getting the doctor."

"No, wait! I'm sorry, just humor me, ok? Has anyone ever stolen the money?"

Lottie shook her head. "No. Never." She laughed. "They'd probably freak out. It's always been split."

"But the final, it's live?"

"Yes. It's recorded live." 

Veronica laughed and did a happy dance while sitting on the bed. She grinned at Lottie.

"We need to talk."

\-------------

"This is outrageous! I can't believe this shit!"

"Bobby..."

"No, Lucas! You don't get it!"

"I do get it. You need to calm down. Getting upset will not help anyone."

Bobby closed his eyes and took five deep breaths. He felt his body relax and he sat down on the couch. He knew having Cara here would be bad. Veronica had passed out as soon as she kissed him. 𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢. 

"Have you heard from Lottie? Is Veronica ok?"

Lucas checked his phone for the hundredth time. Still nothing.

"Nothing yet but I'm sure everything is fine. They're probably just enjoying time away from the drama."

Bobby nodded. He was probably right but he needed to see her. Needed to hold her and assure her that he would still choose her every time, no matter what. He kept seeing the look on her face. It was a mixture of fear and overwhelming sadness. He never wanted to see that on her beautiful face again.

"Shit."

His thoughts were interrupted by Lucas.

"What's wrong?!"

"Nothing, I just got a fucking text."

The text was for a dumping. Everyone gathered around the firepit, minus Veronica and Lottie. 

"How's Veronica, Bobby?" Chelsea had been worried about her since it happened.

"I'm not sure, Chels. They wouldn't let me back there."

Hope got a text, it said the public had been voting for their least favorite couple and the results were in. Everyone looked nervous. Bobby was terrified. He was in a bad couple and so was Veronica. He had decided that if she was voted out, he was leaving no matter the consequences. He needed her in his life.

"The couple that will be leaving tonight will be...."

He hated the prolonged wait during these things. Just say it and get it over with. No need to drag it out. His phone dinged.

"Marisol and Graham."

Chelsea ran forward and hugged them saying her goodbyes and everyone else followed. As soon as they went upstairs to pack, Cara got a text.

𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚊, 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢 𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛. 𝚆𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚍𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢.

She read the text and a look of triumph appeared upon her face. She looked at Bobby and winked. He shot her a look of disgust, she was clearly planted. She had no time to get to know the others and she was already picking? Right, that wasn't weird at all.

Before she could pick, Veronica and Lottie joined them at the firepit. They were both smiling and seemed like nothing had happened. Bobby winked at Veronica and she winked back.

"Now that the 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏 and her loyal servant have joined us, I guess I'll begin." Cara smoothed her skirt, smiling. "This is an interesting decision I have to make. On one hand, I could pick my man." She gestured to Bobby. "But, on the other hand, I could knock Veronica off her almighty throne. Hmmm, what to do?"

Veronica laughed. "Do what you want. No one cares." She was holding a bottle of wine she had been keeping behind her back and took a long drink from it.

Cara was a bit shocked by that but she rolled her eyes and spoke again. "I choose to couple up with... Bobby."

Hope started shouting about how the show was rigged and how it wasn't fair for her to go home yet. 

"You're a bitch! Why me?!"

Lottie laughed. "Seriously, Hope? You had this one coming. I'm just sorry it was a bitch like Cara that got you out, and not me."

Hope screamed and marched off to pack. No one bothered to say goodbye to her, she wouldn't be missed.

Cara took her place next to Bobby, hugging him. He tried to brush her off him but she just giggled.

"Always being silly. I've missed that."

"Cara. We are not together. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Well, we are in a couple so just remember that." She smirked at Veronica. "Feeling better?"

"Oh yeah." She took another drink. "Never been better."

"We should probably talk about some of the things you've said about me. In private?"

Veronica shrugged. "Why not here?"

Cara hated this girl. Who the hell did she think she was. "Ok, first off, you said I was an Idiot for letting Bobby go."

"Yep. Sounds like something I'd say."

Everyone around the firepit laughed but quickly stopped when Cara glared at them.

"Maybe you don't know the whole story."

"Please, I know everything. You cheated and then married Mark on the same day you were supposed to marry Bobby. So you know what? I do take it back. You're not an idiot. You're a disgusting bitch!"

She laughed. "If he tells you everything then why didn't he tell you I was pregnant?"

There was an uncomfortable silence and Veronica didn't know how to respond. It couldn't have been Bobby's, right? But if it was, she could understand why he wouldn't bring it up, especially knowing her past. She looked at him and he looked like he was in pain. 

"Cara. Stop." Mark wasn't going to stand by and allow her to use their daughter as a pawn. "The baby wasn't Bobby's."

"But it could have been. That's all I'm saying." She kissed Bobby on the cheek.

"Get off me!" He stormed off.

"Bobby, wait!" Veronica caught up to him and she could see he was upset.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want it to look like I hid it. It just didn't seem important."

She hugged him. "It's not important. It's fine. Everything is fine. Ok?"

She led him to the bedroom and laid in his arms. They held each other for a long time, skipping dinner. She wanted to leave with him but she couldn't back down. The show had pushed her one too many times and she had a plan so that they would always remember her name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 🧡
> 
> I also have a fic staring Rohan and another Bobby fic in the works. 
> 
> I also have a few Oneshots I did for fun.
> 
> You can shout things at me on Tumblr but keep it kind, funny and sarcastically mean. We don't do hate in this Villa y'all.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are so appreciated ❤✌ Thanks for reading. See ya soon!


End file.
